Front tooth implant, zirconia abutment with e-max crown vs metal abutment with empress crown?

Your new dentist sounds very competent . I agree that a zirconia abutment would not be my choice for #7.  How your teeth come together in the front  is critical to decide which material to use.Do you bite very hard? How much room is there for the abutment and crown? What shade are you surrounding teeth? Do you have crowns or laminates on any front teeth? Why did you lose #7? Accident, fracture, or periodontal disease?All these are factors that determine my choice for materials for the abutment and crown.  Last point, the patient should not be making these choices.  It is the dentist 's expertise and ability to get the most natural appearing smile for you that determines the materials used.

There are some factors that may enter into the thinking of each doctor.  The doctor recommending a zirconium and emax crown sounds like a better choice with the limited information to go on.  Emax comes in different translucencies and any quality lab should be able to masque out the underlying whiteness of the zirconium.  A metal, usually titanium, abutment is more difficult to masque out the darkness, especially with Empress.  The problem with metal abutments and sometimes even with the implant itself is that the dark metal makes the gum look dark below the level of the crown.  The only reason titanium may make more sense is if the space is very small and the zirconium would be too thin and subject to fracture.  Discuss your concerns with the dentist and make sure you are content before the case is cemented.

Zirconia as an abutment does have risks. They are certainly not as strong as titanium however they're certainly strong enough.I have only had one breakage of the zirconium abutment in my career.  I am actually in favor of a zirconia or emax abutment with an Emax crown. Zirconia comes in a few different colors so I don't believe that is a big issue for abutment choice in the anterior region.