.png)
Dental Crowns in Brazil: E.max vs Zirconia Explained for International Patients
Dental crowns in Brazil: how E.max and zirconia differ, which suits your case, and how to plan treatment in São Paulo. Read before you book your trip.
There is a particular kind of quiet that follows the moment a dentist tells you a tooth needs a crown. Sometimes it arrives after a molar cracks on something harmless. Sometimes it arrives slowly, as an old crown begins to show a gray shadow at the gum line and you start turning your head in photographs. Sometimes it arrives with a treatment estimate that felt impossible to absorb, and the decision gets postponed month after month, with a quiet hope that the tooth will simply behave.
If you are in the United States and considering dental crowns in Brazil, you are most likely carrying two separate worries at the same time. The first is clinical. You want to understand what is actually being proposed, whether it will look natural, and whether it will hold. The second is harder to say out loud. You may be worried about being judged for how long you waited. You may be afraid of pain, or of that specific feeling of losing control while lying back in a chair. You may be uneasy about handing your mouth to a team you have never met, in a country you have never visited, with a return flight already booked.
Those concerns are reasonable. They deserve a serious answer rather than reassurance.
This article explains the two materials most commonly proposed for modern crowns, lithium disilicate (sold under the name E.max) and zirconia, in plain clinical language. It also explains how the decision between them is genuinely made, what a responsible clinic should do before touching a single tooth, how long treatment realistically takes when you are traveling from abroad, and what happens after you fly home. By the end you should be able to hold an informed conversation with any dentist, in São Paulo or in your own city, and recognize the difference between a thoughtful plan and a sales pitch.
👉 To see more oral health tips, real stories of overcoming dental fear, and our day to day at BCX Odontologia, follow our Instagram:
Before your appointment
Most of the quality of a crown is decided before the first drill ever turns. Diagnosis, material selection, bite analysis, gum health, and planning determine the outcome far more than the speed of the hands that prepare the tooth. This is the part of treatment where you have the most influence, and where careful questions pay off the most.
What a dental crown actually does, and when you genuinely need one
A crown is a custom made covering that replaces the outer structure of a tooth and takes over its function. It is indicated when what remains of the natural tooth can no longer carry chewing forces on its own. Common situations include a tooth with a large old filling and thin remaining walls, a tooth that has fractured, a tooth that has been treated with root canal therapy and lost internal structure, severe wear from grinding, or a crown placed years ago that has failed at the margin.
A crown is also placed on top of a dental implant, where it restores the visible portion of the replaced tooth. The engineering behind that case is different, and the material discussion changes accordingly.
It is equally important to know when a crown is not the only answer. If a good amount of healthy structure remains, a partial restoration such as an onlay may preserve more of your own tooth. If the concern is purely about color, shape, or small alignment issues on front teeth with healthy structure underneath, veneers are far more conservative. A responsible clinic will tell you when a less invasive option exists, even when the more extensive option would be more profitable. If every tooth in your mouth is proposed for a crown without a clear structural reason for each one, that is a signal to slow down and ask for the reasoning tooth by tooth.
E.max crowns: where lithium disilicate performs best
E.max is the commercial name of a glass ceramic based on lithium disilicate. Its defining quality is optical. It transmits and scatters light in a way that closely resembles natural enamel, with depth and translucency at the incisal edge rather than a flat, uniform surface. For upper front teeth photographed in natural daylight, this behavior is difficult to match.
Its flexural strength sits at roughly 360 to 400 MPa, which is considerable for a glass ceramic, though lower than zirconia. What compensates for that difference is the way it is attached. Lithium disilicate is etched and bonded adhesively to the tooth, and once bonded to enamel the restoration and the tooth behave closer to a single unit. The bond is part of the strength, not an accessory to it.
That dependence on bonding is also its main limitation. E.max performs best when there is healthy enamel available to bond to, when the underlying tooth is not severely discolored, and when the restoration will not be exposed to extreme forces. Because it is translucent, it transmits what lies beneath it. A dark tooth after root canal treatment, a metal post, or a gray stump will show through unless carefully managed, and heavy masking with opaque layers works against the very quality that makes the material beautiful.
Typical strong indications include single crowns on front teeth, premolars, onlays, and veneers.
Zirconia crowns: strength, masking, and the cases that need them
Zirconia is zirconium dioxide stabilized with yttria. It is a polycrystalline ceramic rather than a glass ceramic, and it behaves differently in almost every relevant way.
The traditional formulation, often called 3Y zirconia, reaches roughly 1000 to 1200 MPa in flexural strength. It is highly opaque, which makes it excellent at hiding dark substrates, and extremely resistant to fracture. Newer formulations, described as 4Y and 5Y or high translucency zirconia, sacrifice some of that strength, generally landing somewhere between 550 and 800 MPa, in exchange for significantly better optical behavior. Multilayer zirconia discs now include a color and translucency gradient built into the material itself, which has narrowed the esthetic gap considerably compared to what was possible ten years ago.
There is also an older technique worth understanding, because it still circulates: a zirconia core covered with layered feldspathic porcelain. The esthetics can be lovely, but the interface between the strong core and the softer veneering porcelain is where chipping occurs, especially in patients who grind. Monolithic zirconia, milled from a single block and finished with surface characterization and glaze, has largely replaced it for posterior work for this reason.
Zirconia is usually the better answer for molars, for patients with confirmed bruxism, for bridges spanning multiple teeth, for implant supported crowns, and for any situation where a dark or metallic substrate must be masked.
How the choice between E.max and zirconia is actually made
The honest answer is that neither material is superior in the abstract. A clinic that always uses one of them, regardless of the case, is choosing convenience or inventory rather than diagnosis. The decision depends on a short list of variables:
Position in the mouth. Front teeth prioritize optical behavior. Molars prioritize resistance to load.
Color of what lies underneath. A bright, healthy stump allows translucency. A dark stump, a metal post, or an implant abutment usually requires masking.
Remaining tooth structure and available enamel. Adhesive bonding to enamel favors lithium disilicate. Extensive dentin exposure with little enamel weakens that argument.
Your bite and your grinding pattern. Signs of bruxism, flattened cusps, muscle tension in the morning, or a history of fractured restorations shift the decision toward zirconia, with a night guard included in the plan rather than suggested later as an afterthought.
Span and support. A single tooth allows options. A multi unit bridge or an implant restoration narrows them.
Cementation protocol. Zirconia can be conventionally cemented when retention is good, which matters in shorter preparations. Lithium disilicate depends on a controlled adhesive protocol, ideally under rubber dam isolation, which requires time and discipline from the operator.
In many well planned cases the answer is a combination. Zirconia on the posterior teeth that carry the load, lithium disilicate on the anterior teeth that carry the smile. There is nothing inconsistent about that. It is simply matching material to function.
Choosing a clinic abroad: what to look for and what should concern you
Green flags are usually undramatic. A clinic that requires a complete diagnosis before quoting a definitive plan. A dentist who is registered with the regional dental council, which in the state of São Paulo means a verifiable CROSP number. A written plan that names the specific material, the number of units, and the number of sessions. Photographic and radiographic documentation of your case. A clear explanation of what is included, what is not, and what could change after the tooth is opened. Willingness to say that something is not advisable.
What should concern you is equally consistent. A final price offered before any records are seen. Promises of a complete smile transformation in two days regardless of complexity. Pressure tied to a deadline or a discount. Reluctance to discuss alternatives. No named professional responsible for your case. Photographs used in marketing that are clearly not the clinic's own work. Any suggestion that healthy teeth should be prepared for crowns purely to standardize appearance.
The records worth gathering before you fly
Bring what you already have, even if it is a few years old. A panoramic radiograph, periapical films of the specific teeth in question, a cone beam scan if one was made for implant planning, your most recent treatment notes, and any information about existing crowns, root canals, or implants, including the implant brand and platform if it is known. That last detail saves considerable time.
Photographs help more than most patients expect. Useful ones include a natural smile taken in daylight near a window, a relaxed frontal view with lips apart, a close view of the upper arch, and a view of the lower arch. They do not need to be professional. They need to be in focus and taken without a flash, which distorts color.
Also bring a current list of medications, your medical history, and any history of adverse reaction to anesthesia or sedation. This is not bureaucracy. It directly shapes what can safely be offered.
How online consultations work, and what they can honestly conclude
A remote consultation is a real clinical conversation with real limits. With good records, a dentist can identify the likely scope of treatment, discuss material options, outline a probable sequence, estimate the number of sessions and days required, and give you a planning range for investment.
What a remote consultation cannot do is confirm a definitive diagnosis. Depth of decay, the condition of the gum tissue, the stability of an existing root canal, the amount of healthy structure under an old restoration, and your bite dynamics all require an in-person examination. A clinic that tells you the preliminary plan is final before examining you is making a promise it cannot responsibly keep. A clinic that explains what could change, and why, is telling you the truth.
Planning your days in São Paulo
Conventional crown treatment requires at least two clinical stages: preparation with temporary restorations, and delivery of the definitive restorations after laboratory fabrication. For an international patient, a realistic window for a set of crowns is seven to ten days in the city, which allows for the initial examination, preparation, a try-in appointment for color and shape approval, delivery, and a final adjustment visit after you have chewed on the new teeth for a day or two.
If root canal treatment, gum therapy, or extractions are needed first, the sequence lengthens. If implants are involved, treatment is normally divided into two trips separated by roughly four to six months of healing, with the second trip dedicated to the definitive crowns.
Book your return flight with margin. Two or three extra days at the end costs far less than a rushed delivery, and it protects you from the small unpredictable events that occur in any laboratory workflow.
A practical note on location: BCX Odontologia is in Brooklin, in the South Zone of São Paulo, a calm business district that sits close to Congonhas Airport and to a good concentration of hotels. For someone arriving from the United States, that proximity reduces daily transit time considerably compared to staying far from the clinic.
If you live with dental anxiety or odontophobia
Dental fear is not a character flaw and it is not rare. For many patients it traces back to a specific experience, often in childhood, where pain arrived without warning or a request to stop was ignored. The body remembers that. Your heart rate rising in a waiting room is a learned protective response, not weakness.
What helps is structure. Knowing what will happen and in what order. Having an agreed signal that stops the procedure immediately and is actually honored. Being able to sit up, breathe, and resume. Being told in advance when you will feel pressure, vibration, or cold water, so that nothing arrives unannounced. Being treated in an environment that is quiet and discreet rather than clinical and exposed.
If fear has kept you away from dental care for years, say so at the first contact. It changes how a good team plans your appointments, including their length and their pacing.
Sedation options, described at a high level
Comfort exists on a scale rather than as a single choice.
Local anesthesia alone is sufficient for the majority of crown preparations, and modern techniques including topical gel before injection and slow controlled delivery make it far less unpleasant than most people remember.
Nitrous oxide, inhaled through a small nasal mask, produces a light state of relaxation while you remain fully awake and conversational. It wears off within minutes and is compatible with the same day resumption of normal activity.
Conscious sedation with intravenous medication produces a deeper state of relaxation and often partial amnesia of the procedure. You continue breathing on your own and can respond, though your memory of the session may be fragmented.
General anesthesia is a hospital level intervention and is reserved for specific indications.
Responsible sedation practice includes a medical history review, screening of medical conditions and medications, continuous monitoring during the procedure, the presence of a professional whose sole responsibility is your sedation rather than your teeth, a companion accompanying you home, and clear written post-sedation instructions. Anyone offering deep sedation without those elements is offering something else. A clinic should also be direct about when sedation is not indicated for you.
Questions worth asking before you commit
Which material do you recommend for each tooth, and why that one for that tooth. What are the alternatives, including doing less. Who fabricates the restorations, and is the laboratory local. Will I see and approve the shape and color before final cementation. How many sessions and how many days. What is included in the amount quoted, and what would be charged separately. What is your policy if an adjustment or remake is needed after I return home. How do I reach the clinical team once I am back in the United States. What happens if my flight is delayed and I miss an appointment.
The content of the answers matters. So does the willingness to answer without irritation.
👉 To see more oral health tips, real stories of overcoming dental fear, and our day to day at BCX Odontologia, follow our Instagram:
During your appointment
The first in-person visit: diagnosis before treatment
The first appointment in the clinic should not involve preparing teeth. It should involve looking carefully. A complete clinical examination, updated radiographs, periodontal evaluation, an intraoral scan or impressions, photographic documentation, and an analysis of how your teeth meet when you close, slide, and chew.
This is where the preliminary plan discussed online becomes a definitive plan, and where any necessary corrections are explained. Sometimes the news is better than expected, and a tooth thought to need a crown needs only an onlay. Sometimes it is worse, and a tooth requires endodontic treatment first. Either way, you should hear it before anything is irreversible.
How a treatment plan should be presented to you
A plan presented well is specific. It identifies each tooth by number, states what will be done to it, names the material, gives the sequence and the number of sessions, and states the total investment in writing along with what is and is not included.
It should also include the reasoning. You are entitled to understand why zirconia was chosen for tooth 36 and lithium disilicate for tooth 11, in language that does not require a dental degree to follow. And you are entitled to take the plan away, think about it, and seek a second opinion. A clinic confident in its diagnosis has no reason to fear that.
Preparation day, step by step
Anesthesia is administered and given time to take full effect, which is verified before anything begins. The tooth is then reduced by a specific amount depending on the material, because each ceramic requires a minimum thickness to perform as designed. The margin, meaning the finish line where crown meets tooth, is refined with attention to the gum tissue, since long term health at that junction determines whether the restoration looks good in five years or shows a dark line.
The prepared tooth is scanned or impressed, the color is recorded with the patient sitting upright in natural light, and a temporary crown is made and cemented. Temporaries matter more than patients realize. They protect the tooth, maintain gum contour, and let you test shape and function before anything is permanent.
At the try-in appointment, the definitive restorations are placed without cement so that fit, contacts, color, and shape can be verified. This is the moment to speak. If the shade reads too gray at the edge, if the length feels wrong, if the shape of one tooth bothers you, say it then. Adjustments are simple before cementation and complicated afterward.
Final cementation follows a strict protocol, particularly for lithium disilicate, which requires a dry isolated field. The bite is then adjusted and refined.
Pain control, anxiety control, and your right to pause
Modern crown preparation under proper anesthesia should not be painful. Pressure and vibration are normal sensations; pain is not, and is a reason to stop and add anesthesia rather than push through.
A hand signal agreed before the procedure should genuinely stop the work. That single arrangement resolves much of what patients fear, because the underlying fear is usually not pain itself but the loss of the ability to stop it.
Conscious sedation, in calm and plain terms
Under intravenous conscious sedation, most patients describe a soft detachment. Time compresses. The sounds of the room feel distant. You can still respond to a request to open or turn, and you continue breathing without assistance. Many patients remember fragments, or the beginning and the end, with little in between.
It is not general anesthesia and should never be described as being put to sleep. It does not eliminate the need for local anesthesia, which is still administered, usually after the sedation has taken effect so that you experience it far less. Recovery involves several hours of grogginess, a companion taking you back to your hotel, no driving, and no alcohol that day. Individual responses vary, which is precisely why a pre-sedation medical evaluation exists.
How communication works when your dentist speaks a different language
Language should never be the reason a patient misunderstands their own treatment. At BCX Odontologia, consultations with international patients are conducted with simultaneous translation support, so that the clinical conversation happens in English in real time rather than through a summary afterward. Written material, treatment plans, and post-treatment instructions are provided in English.
The standard to expect is simple. You should be able to ask any question during your appointment and receive an answer you fully understand before consenting to anything.
Consent and transparency during treatment
Informed consent is a conversation, not a signature collected at speed. It should cover what is proposed, what the alternatives are, what the risks and limitations are, and what happens if you decline.
If a change becomes necessary once treatment has started, for example when decay proves deeper than the radiograph suggested, you should be informed while it is happening, given the revised options, and told the effect on both timeline and cost before work continues. Discovering a change after the fact, on the final invoice, is not transparency.
After your appointment
The first days with your new crowns
Mild sensitivity to cold and to pressure is common in the first days and typically fades within a few weeks. The bite may feel slightly unfamiliar as your muscles and joints adapt, which is normal for a short period. Gum tissue around the margins may be tender if the preparation extended near the gum line.
For the first day, favor softer food and avoid chewing directly on the new restorations. After that, return to normal eating with a reasonable caution: ceramic is strong, but no ceramic tolerates ice, popcorn kernels, or opening packaging with your teeth.
Clean normally from the first day, including flossing, using care
around the margins. Plaque at the junction between crown and tooth is the single most common cause of long term failure, and it is entirely preventable.
What is normal and what is not
Normal: temporary cold sensitivity, mild gum tenderness, a brief adjustment period to the new bite, slight soreness in the chewing muscles after a long session.
Worth reporting promptly: pain that increases rather than decreases after the first few days, a bite that feels high or uneven after a week, swelling, a persistent bad taste, a crown that feels loose or moves, or a sharp edge irritating your tongue or cheek. Most of these are resolved with a short adjustment. None of them should be endured silently on the assumption that they will settle.
Flying home safely
Air travel after crown treatment is generally uneventful. Changes in cabin pressure do not affect properly cemented ceramic restorations. If your treatment included surgery, extractions, or implant placement, the clinical team will indicate an appropriate interval before flying, usually a small number of days, along with instructions on hydration, medication, and what to carry with you.
Leave the clinic with written instructions, a direct contact channel, prescriptions where applicable, and a copy of your clinical documentation including the material used and the laboratory specifications. If a dentist in the United States ever needs to work on or near those restorations, that documentation is genuinely useful.
Realistic timelines for crowns, implants, and veneers
Crowns on natural teeth: generally one trip of seven to ten days, assuming no preliminary treatment is required.
Veneers: a similar window, with an additional appointment dedicated to the trial smile, where a temporary version is tested in your mouth and approved before the definitive restorations are made.
Implants with definitive crowns: normally two trips. The first covers surgery and healing begins; the second, after roughly four to six months, covers the definitive restoration. Some cases allow immediate provisional restorations, though that depends on bone quality and stability measured at the time of surgery, not on a promise made in advance.
Full arch rehabilitation: individually planned, always in stages, and never compressed honestly into a long weekend.
How long E.max and zirconia crowns last
Published clinical data generally shows survival rates above ninety percent at five years for both materials when they are correctly indicated and properly executed, with monolithic zirconia performing especially well in posterior regions and lithium disilicate performing extremely well in anterior and premolar single crowns bonded to enamel.
Longevity depends on factors that continue after you leave the clinic: daily hygiene, gum health, whether you grind, whether you wear a night guard when one is indicated, and regular professional maintenance. What fails in the long run is rarely the ceramic itself. It is usually recurrent decay at the margin or periodontal deterioration, both of which are largely within your control.
No ethical clinic will guarantee a specific number of years. What a clinic can do is select the right material, execute it properly, document it, and support you afterward.
Maintenance, night guards, and grinding
If bruxism was identified during your evaluation, a night guard is part of the treatment, not an optional accessory. It is the single most effective protection for both ceramic restorations and your remaining natural teeth. It should be made before you leave, fitted properly, and used.
Beyond that, maintenance is unremarkable: professional cleaning and examination every six months, or more often if you have a history of gum disease, and prompt attention to anything that feels different.
Follow up from a distance, and coordinating with your dentist at home
Remote follow up works well when it is structured. Expect scheduled check-ins in the first weeks, a channel that reaches an actual clinical team rather than a general inbox, and the ability to
send photographs when something needs to be evaluated.
Coordination with your dentist in the United States is straightforward when your documentation is complete. Radiographs, clinical photographs, material specifications, and treatment notes allow any competent professional to continue your routine care, perform cleanings, and monitor the restorations. Most American dentists have no difficulty maintaining well executed work from abroad when the records are clear. Ask for those records before you leave, as a matter of course.
Accountability over time
Ask directly how the clinic handles adjustments, repairs, or remakes after an international patient has returned home, and what the terms are. The answer should be specific and given without hesitation.
A clinic that plans carefully, documents thoroughly, and stays reachable afterward is demonstrating something more meaningful than any marketing claim. Continuity of care is the real difference between dental treatment abroad done well and dental treatment abroad done cheaply.
Written by:
Dr. Beatriz Kawamoto
CROSP: 133.746
DDS, University of São Paulo (USP)
Studied Dentistry in Japan, Okayama University
MBA in Management and Innovation, USP DNA
Frequently asked questions
What is the real difference between E.max and zirconia crowns?
E.max is a lithium disilicate glass ceramic with excellent light transmission, which makes it look remarkably close to natural enamel, and it is bonded adhesively to the tooth. Zirconia is a much stronger polycrystalline ceramic that resists heavy chewing forces and hides dark substrates underneath. In simple terms, E.max is usually favored where appearance is the priority and there is healthy structure to bond to, while zirconia is favored where strength and masking matter most. Many treatment plans use both, assigned tooth by tooth according to function and position.
Is it safe to get dental crowns or implants in Brazil?
Brazil has a well established dental profession with rigorous university training and mandatory registration with regional dental councils. Safety is determined less by the country than by the specific clinic: verifiable professional registration, proper sterilization protocols, complete diagnostic records before treatment, quality materials from recognized manufacturers, and documented follow up. Ask for the treating dentist's council registration number, ask which brands of implants and ceramics are used, and ask what documentation you will take home. Clinics that meet international standards answer those questions easily.
How many days do I need in São Paulo for crowns or veneers?
For crowns or veneers on teeth that need no preliminary treatment, plan on seven to ten days. That allows for a complete examination, preparation with temporary restorations, a try-in appointment to approve color and shape, definitive cementation, and a final adjustment. If root canal therapy, gum treatment, or extractions are required first, the timeline extends. Implants are normally divided into two trips separated by four to six months. Always leave a two or three day buffer before your return flight.
What happens if my flight is delayed and I miss an appointment?
Tell the clinic as soon as you know. A clinic experienced with international patients builds schedule flexibility for exactly this situation and can usually reorganize appointments within your remaining days. If the delay is significant, the most common solution is to complete the reversible stages, leave you with well made temporary restorations that are safe to wear for weeks, and schedule definitive delivery for a short return trip. What should never happen is compressing careful work into a rushed session to save a flight.
Will my dentist in the United States be able to follow my case?
Yes, provided you leave Brazil with complete documentation. Request your radiographs, clinical photographs, the treatment plan performed, the specific materials and their manufacturers, and, if implants were placed, the brand, model, and platform. With those records, an American dentist can perform your routine cleanings, monitor the restorations, and intervene if needed. Bring the documentation to your next appointment at home and explain what was done. Most colleagues respond professionally to well documented work.
How does conscious sedation actually feel?
Most patients describe a state of soft detachment rather than sleep. You remain able to breathe on your own and respond to simple requests, but time passes quickly and the procedure feels distant. Memory is often partial, with recollection of the beginning and the end and little in between. Local anesthesia is still used, usually administered after the sedation takes effect, so you barely register it. Afterward you will feel drowsy for several hours, you will need a companion to accompany you, and you should not drive that day. Responses vary between individuals, which is why a medical evaluation precedes it.
How do I know a clinic abroad is reputable?
Look for consistency rather than persuasion. A reputable clinic requires diagnosis before quoting definitively, identifies the professional responsible for your case with a verifiable registration number, provides a written plan naming materials and sessions, shows its own clinical documentation rather than stock images, explains alternatives including less invasive ones, and describes clearly what happens if a problem arises after you return home. Pressure, deadlines, discounts tied to immediate decisions, and prices given before any records are reviewed all point the other direction.
Can I get zirconia crowns on my front teeth?
Yes, and in certain cases it is the correct choice, particularly when the tooth underneath is dark, when a metal post is present, or when the crown sits on an implant. Modern high translucency and multilayer zirconia materials achieve very natural results in the anterior region, though lithium disilicate still holds an advantage in light transmission when the underlying tooth is healthy and light in color. The decision should follow from your specific case rather than from a general preference, and the try-in appointment exists precisely so that you can evaluate the result before it becomes permanent.
Do I need a root canal before getting a crown?
Not necessarily. A root canal is indicated when the pulp inside the tooth is irreversibly inflamed or infected, not simply because a crown is planned. Many teeth receive crowns with a completely healthy pulp. That said, extensive decay or deep preparation can occasionally lead to pulp involvement later, and a responsible dentist will discuss that possibility in advance rather than present it as a surprise. Be cautious if root canal treatment is proposed routinely for every tooth being crowned without a specific diagnostic reason for each.
Will my new crowns match my other teeth?
Shade matching is a clinical skill supported by good protocol. Color should be recorded with you sitting upright, in natural light, with the teeth hydrated, and ideally documented photographically for the laboratory. The try-in appointment is where you verify it yourself before cementation. Perfect matching is more difficult when only one or two crowns sit among natural teeth with complex internal coloration, and an honest dentist will tell you when a result will be excellent and when it will be very good but not invisible. If you plan to whiten your natural teeth, do it before the crowns are made, since ceramic does not respond to whitening agents.
Do crowned teeth still get cavities?
The crown itself cannot decay, but the natural tooth beneath it can, particularly at the margin where the crown meets the tooth. This is the most common long term cause of crown failure. Daily flossing around the margins, consistent brushing, and professional cleanings every six months protect that junction. Gum health matters just as much, since receding tissue exposes the margin and creates a new vulnerable surface.
How long will my crowns last?
Clinical studies generally report survival above ninety percent at five years for both lithium disilicate and zirconia when correctly indicated and well executed, and many restorations serve far longer. Longevity depends heavily on what happens after treatment: hygiene, gum health, whether you grind and whether you protect your teeth with a night guard, and regular maintenance. No ethical clinic will guarantee a fixed number of years, because the outcome is shared between the quality of the work and the care it receives afterward.
👉 To see more oral health tips, real stories of overcoming dental fear, and our day to day at BCX Odontologia, follow our Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/bcxodontologia/
If you would like more information or to speak with our team on WhatsApp:
Comentários