Metal-free dentistry means restorations made entirely from ceramic or composite, with no metal core and no amalgam. At Dentistry For You in Broken Arrow that covers all-ceramic crowns, inlays and onlays, and tooth-coloured fillings.
Why Anyone Chooses It
The usual reason is how it looks. A porcelain-fused-to-metal crown has a metal substructure, and because light cannot pass through metal the crown is more opaque than a natural tooth. As gums recede slightly with age, the metal edge appears as a grey line at the gum. On a back tooth nobody notices. On a front tooth it is the first thing you see.
All-ceramic materials let light through roughly the way enamel does, so the restoration picks up the colour of what is around it instead of sitting there as a flat block.
A smaller group of patients have a genuine sensitivity to dental metals, most often nickel in certain alloys, and for them the choice is medical.
What We Use
Zirconia is a very strong ceramic used where the bite forces are highest, which means molars and any patient who grinds. It is the material that made metal-free crowns practical on back teeth.
Lithium disilicate is a glass ceramic with better optical qualities. It is not quite as strong as zirconia but it looks more like a natural tooth, so it is often the choice for front teeth, veneers, inlays and onlays.
Composite resin is used for direct fillings, shaped onto the tooth and hardened with a light in a single appointment.
Choosing between them is a matter of where the tooth is, how much force it takes and how visible it is. There is no single best material for every situation, and any practice that says otherwise is selling rather than advising.
Want to Replace Old Metal Work?
Call the front desk and we will find you a time that works.
Inlays and Onlays
There is a gap between a filling and a crown that many people do not know exists. When a cavity is too large for a filling to hold reliably, but the tooth is not so damaged that it needs covering completely, an inlay or onlay is the middle option.
Both are made in a laboratory and bonded into place, so they are far stronger than a large direct filling. The advantage over a crown is that they keep more of your own tooth, which matters because every restoration eventually needs replacing and there is only so much tooth to work with.
Tooth-Coloured Fillings
Composite fillings bond to the tooth rather than being held in by shape alone. That means the preparation can be smaller and more of the healthy tooth stays where it is. They match the surrounding enamel closely and are the default here for new fillings.
More detail is on the dental fillings page.
Replacing What You Already Have
People sometimes want every old restoration swapped out at once. Usually we advise against it. Replacing a sound filling means drilling away more tooth for no clinical gain, and the new one will not last forever either.
The sensible time to change material is when a restoration needs replacing anyway, because it has cracked, started leaking or has decay underneath. At that point the tooth is being worked on regardless, and choosing ceramic or composite costs nothing extra in tooth structure.
The exception is a front tooth where an old crown has a visible grey line or no longer matches. That is a reasonable thing to change for its own sake.
Call (918) 355-1391 or send the contact form.
Questions About Metal-Free Work
Are ceramic crowns as strong as metal ones?
Modern high-strength ceramics such as zirconia are strong enough for back teeth, where the chewing forces are highest. Older all-ceramic materials were not, which is where the reputation for fragility comes from. The material is chosen for the tooth rather than applied to everything.
Should I replace my existing amalgam fillings?
Not usually, if they are sound. Replacing a filling means removing more tooth, so an intact amalgam that is sealing well is generally better left alone. When one is cracked, leaking or has decay under it, it needs replacing anyway, and that is the natural moment to change material.
Why does my old crown have a dark line at the gum?
Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns have a metal substructure under the porcelain. As the gum recedes slightly over the years that metal edge starts to show as a grey line. All-ceramic crowns have no metal in them, so there is no line to appear.
Is this about metal allergies?
Sometimes. True allergy to dental metals is uncommon but real, most often to nickel in some alloys. For most patients the reasons are how it looks and how light passes through the material rather than a medical one.
Ask About Metal-Free Options
We will tell you whether replacing an old restoration is worth doing yet, or whether it is fine where it is.