My Dentist Placed a Zirconia Crown over my Zirconium Abutment. Can I Ask for Emax Crown Instead?

This is a very good question and reminds me of a story my grandmother used to tell me when I was growing up, the one about the three little pigs.  The first build a house made of straw, the second out of wood and the third out of brick, all to keep the wolf out.  The same is true with dental ceramic crowns.   The difference is that we also have to make the house look good.  So here is the breakdown.   

1) zirconia oxide is the strongest ceramic we have.  The crown is usually veneered with porcelain which is weak.  The zirconias today come very translucent and can also be made to full contour and stained.  Alternatively one can make a full contour zirconia crown and layer porcelain on aesthetic areas to get a stong and beautiful restoration.

 

2) EMAX is a type of porcelain.  The crown can be formed either by pressing(injection moulding) or milling.  Both are strong but are somewhat weaken by a process of cutting back and layering porcelain for aesthetics.  

 

These two points simply mean that there is always a drawback to all of our materials and the best person to choose the material is your trusted doctor who in some sense knows the wolf that will be blowing on this house.   Our technicians can produce lifelike restorations irrespective of the materials used.  It's al about clinical application of the material in the right case   

The important thing with crowns is to match the right strength with the optimal aesthetics.

For the tooth #5 area (just behind the upper right eye-tooth), aesthetics are usually VERY important. Zirconia crowns (full zirconia crowns) are really strong. But they are not very aesthetic. In this situation, i think there is a low chance that a (full) zirconia crown well ever look great. 

An eMax crown might be a good option, but don't get too caught up on the brand names. Some labs can make ANY brand or style crown look awesome. Some labs can't make even the sexiest new porcelains look better than average. The key is first have a good cosmetic dentist. He can help sort out how to create the best aesthetics. He will have a lab that is versatile and be able to use different types of crowns.

In this age of cosmetic dentistry, there is no reason to accept less than great aesthetics for a tooth this far forward in your smile.

Your dentist had the right decision placing more durable crown on the zirkonia abutment. Emax crowns are usually made for the anterior teeth and in the situation when the teeth won`t have occlusal overload. Most likely the all-ceramic crown will blend in with other teeth, but you definitely should not compromise aesthetics over the function and durability.