Materials

The material of a crown, veneer, filling, denture or implant affects how it looks and how strong it is. It also affects how it is fixed to the tooth and how it can be repaired. No single material suits every tooth. Each family has benefits and limitations. The choice often involves balancing appearance against strength; sometimes how much tooth tissue needs to be removed is the deciding factor. Removed tooth tissue does not grow back: for example, placing a veneer usually involves removing some enamel, and this cannot be reversed¹.

A stronger material does not necessarily mean a longer-lasting crown. A 2026 review of single crowns on natural teeth found that five-year survival was close across single-piece (monolithic) lithium disilicate, single-piece zirconia and metal-ceramic². Survival here means the crown was still in place, not that it never needed repair. The tooth, your bite, the design and your care at home matter as well.

This page gives an overview of the main families and links to a detailed page for each. Study findings quoted here come from published research, not from our own records. On this page, "we" means our clinic in Antalya. Your dentist will tell you which material, product and laboratory will be used for your teeth. You can ask for this in writing (see "Questions, records and consent").

Dental ceramics are tooth-coloured materials used for veneers, inlays, onlays, crowns and bridges. All of these are restorations: they repair or replace teeth. "Porcelain" is the everyday word for them, but it covers several materials that differ in strength and appearance. In general, ceramics that are mostly glass, such as feldspathic porcelain, are more aesthetic but weaker³. Zirconia, which contains no glass, is stronger and more resistant to cracking, but more opaque³.

Glass ceramics can be etched with acid and treated with a chemical called silane, which allows a strong adhesive bond⁴ to the tooth. This makes thin veneers and partial restorations possible. Resin bonding to zirconia can be challenging⁴, so zirconia crowns are usually fixed with a cement. Which method suits a crown depends on the product and on the tooth. Ceramic resists staining better than composite¹, but whitening does not lighten crowns or veneers⁵. If you plan to whiten your natural teeth, say so before the shade is chosen.

Choosing a ceramic often involves balancing appearance against strength. A thin ceramic that lets light through needs enough room and firm support from the tooth beneath it. All ceramics are brittle and can fracture³. Clenching, grinding, knocks and biting hard objects increase this risk. Ceramic can also wear down the natural teeth it bites against, more so if its surface is rough.

Our porcelain and dental ceramics page explains how the ceramic families differ, how they are made and bonded, and how they chip and wear. It also sets out how a material is chosen for each tooth.

Patients often say "zirconium", as in the Turkish term "zirkonyum kaplama". Zirconium is a metal. What goes in the mouth is its oxide, zirconia (zirconium dioxide): a white ceramic with no metal alloy or metal framework. A 2018 review describes zirconia as stronger than other dental ceramics⁶. It is used for crowns, often on back teeth, for bridges, and for crowns on implants and the parts that connect them to the implant.

Choosing zirconia often involves balancing strength against translucency. Zirconia comes in several types. Those that let more light through (the more translucent types) have reduced strength⁷. Even these still let less light through than glass ceramics⁸ such as lithium disilicate.

A single-piece (monolithic) zirconia crown has no porcelain layer to chip, though the zirconia itself can still fracture. A layered crown has porcelain built up on a zirconia framework. The outer porcelain gives the final shape, shade and appearance³, but it can chip. For single crowns on natural teeth, the 2026 review found a difference by design. Single-piece lithium disilicate and zirconia crowns had significantly fewer fractures and chips than crowns with porcelain layered on top².

Our zirconia crowns page explains which teeth zirconia crowns and bridges may suit, how they are made, their risks and how long they last.

Lithium disilicate is a glass ceramic: fine crystals of lithium disilicate held in a glass⁹, with no metal. It lets light through much like a natural tooth, and it can be etched and bonded to the tooth. It is used for veneers, inlays, onlays and single crowns.

Lithium disilicate is not as strong as zirconia, so it needs enough thickness. Heavy clenching or grinding raises the risk of fracture. For bridges supported by natural teeth, studies found that its five-year survival was significantly lower than that of metal-ceramic bridges¹⁰.

e.max is a trade name, not a material. It is one manufacturer's product family. Its CAD and Press products are based on lithium disilicate glass-ceramic¹¹, and the family also includes zirconia¹². This is manufacturer information. Other manufacturers make lithium disilicate under their own names. So a plan that says only "e.max" does not tell you exactly which material or product you would receive.

Our lithium disilicate glass ceramic page explains what the material is, how it is made and bonded, and how it compares with other ceramics. A separate page covers veneers and crowns made from this ceramic: who they suit, how they are made, their risks and how long they last.

A metal-ceramic restoration, also called porcelain fused to metal (PFM), has porcelain built up and fired onto a thin metal framework. The metal gives strength, and the porcelain gives a tooth-coloured surface. It is used for crowns and bridges, not for veneers. In Turkish, "porselen kaplama" is used for these restorations, but also for crowns and veneers without metal. Metal-ceramic crowns have been in use for decades. One study followed a selected group of high-gold metal-ceramic crowns in a single practice for up to 25 years¹³.

The metal is an alloy: a mixture of metals. The American Dental Association (ADA) classification, published in 2003, groups dental alloys by how much noble or precious metal they contain¹⁴. The groups are high-noble (gold-based), noble and predominantly base-metal alloys. In dentistry, the noble metals are gold and the platinum-group metals¹⁴. Cobalt-chromium and nickel-chromium are examples of base-metal alloys.

This material also has limitations. Light cannot pass through the metal. A layer of opaque porcelain is needed to hide the colour of the metal³, and the crown may look darker³. If the gum recedes, a dark line may show at the edge. The porcelain layer can chip. Allergic reactions to the alloys in metal-ceramic crowns and bridges are reported, but few studies document them¹⁵, so how often they happen is not known. Tell your dentist about any metal allergy you know of.

Our metal-ceramic restorations and dental alloys page explains the alloy groups and how these restorations are made and fitted. It also covers what is known about metal sensitivity and the alternatives without metal.

Composite resin

Composite is the tooth-coloured material used for white fillings, composite bonding and composite veneers. A 2015 opinion of a European Commission scientific committee (SCENIHR) describes it as a polymerisable resin base containing a ceramic filler¹⁶. Polymerisable means that the resin can harden. A bonding system is applied to the tooth first. The composite is then shaped on the tooth and hardened, in most products by a light¹⁶. Bonding can be done with very little tissue removed from the tooth, or none. Even then, the tooth surface is treated so that the composite can bond. Compared with porcelain, composite is easier to repair if damaged, but less resistant to staining and wear¹. Over time it may need polishing, repair or replacement. Our composite resin page explains what it is made of and how it is placed and repaired. It also covers what is known about allergy and its use in pregnancy.

Acrylic

In dentistry, acrylic means a hard plastic resin, usually polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). A leaflet written for patients of a hospital in Leeds says complete dentures are most commonly made of acrylic¹⁷. It forms the pink base that rests on the gums and often the teeth, and is also used for temporary crowns and bridges. A partial denture can instead have a cobalt-chromium plate, which is thinner and stronger¹⁸ than an all-acrylic one but not suitable in all cases. A dentist can adjust areas of an acrylic denture that rub. As the gums and bone change shape over time, the denture can be relined: material is added to its inner surface to improve its fit. Many breaks can also be repaired. Acrylic can wear, stain and crack. Our acrylic prosthetic materials page explains its types, how dentures are made and cleaned, and the alternatives.

Titanium is the standard material for dental implants, the screws placed in the jawbone to replace the roots of missing teeth. Titanium implants are made of commercially pure titanium or a titanium alloy¹⁹. An international consensus report states that ceramic (zirconia) implants can be an alternative to titanium in selected cases²⁰. Most of the research is on one-piece implants; the evidence for two-piece implants is limited²⁰. Our titanium page explains the grades and alloys used for implants, implant surfaces, what is known about sensitivity, and care around implants. It also covers the alternatives, including ceramic implants.

Fillings can also be made of glass ionomer or silver-coloured amalgam, which our composite resin page compares with composite. A full-metal (gold alloy) crown is still an option for back teeth that do not show, and for teeth with very little space between them and the opposing teeth. It is not tooth-coloured.

Many other materials are used during treatment: temporary crowns and fillings, cements and bonding agents, impression materials, bone and gum grafts, and root fillings. A hospital in Cambridge wrote a leaflet for its own patients. It says bone graft material can come from yourself, another person, an animal or a synthetic source²¹. If the source matters to you, say so before you consent. Our other dental materials page describes what they do, how they are chosen, what is known about allergies, and the records to keep.

The first decision is whether a tooth needs a restoration at all, and which kind; the material comes second. If the only concern is colour or shape, whitening, composite bonding or tooth straightening may be considered before a crown or veneer. Decay and gum disease are treated first. Preparing a living tooth for a crown, a partial crown or a bridge can also affect its nerve²². If the nerve dies, root canal treatment is needed to keep the tooth. Our pages on ceramics and metal-ceramic restorations explain how often this happened in published studies.

The material is then chosen for each tooth after an examination, with X-rays where needed. The main questions are:

• Where is the tooth, and how much of it shows when you smile?
• What is your bite like, and do you clench or grind your teeth?
• How much of the tooth and its enamel remain, and how much room is there for the material?
• Does the restoration need adhesive bonding, as thin veneers do, or can it be fixed with a conventional cement?
• Is it a filling, veneer, inlay or onlay, crown, bridge, denture or implant crown?
• What colour is the tooth underneath? Thin, translucent ceramic may not hide a dark tooth. What you expect of the appearance matters too.
• What is your medical history, including any allergy to metals or dental materials you know of?

Who does what?

The dentist examines you and plans the treatment with you. They prepare the teeth, take impressions or scans and write the prescription. The laboratory makes the restoration to that prescription. The dentist then checks it in your mouth and fits it. Turkey's Medical Device Regulation defines a custom-made device as one made for a particular patient. It requires a written prescription from an authorised person, giving specific design characteristics under that person's responsibility²³. Our dental laboratory page explains what the laboratory does and the document that should come with a custom-made restoration.

Products differ, even within one material. In a review of laboratory tests, lithium-based blocks from different manufacturers differed in composition and strength⁹. So ask which product is proposed, not only which material, and why it suits that tooth better than the alternatives.

This is a general comparison; which material suits your tooth is decided at an examination.

• Glass-based ceramics. What they are: materials containing glass, with or without crystals such as lithium disilicate; no metal. Often used for: veneers, inlays, onlays, single crowns. Main advantage: let more light through than zirconia or metal-ceramic; can be bonded to the tooth. Main limitation: not as strong as zirconia; need enough room and support.
• Zirconia. What it is: a crystalline ceramic with no glass and no metal. Often used for: back teeth, bridges, implant crowns. Main advantage: strong; no metal alloy. Main limitation: more opaque; the types that let more light through are weaker.
• Metal-ceramic. What it is: porcelain fused to a metal framework. Often used for: back teeth and long bridges. Main advantage: a long clinical record; strength from the metal. Main limitation: the metal blocks light and may show at the gum line; the porcelain can chip.
• Composite resin. What it is: resin filled with fine glass or ceramic particles. Often used for: fillings, bonding, composite veneers. Main advantage: little or no tooth tissue is removed for bonding; easier to repair. Main limitation: stains and wears more than ceramic.
• Acrylic. What it is: a hard plastic resin, mostly PMMA. Often used for: dentures, temporary crowns and bridges. Main advantage: can be adjusted, relined and often repaired. Main limitation: can wear, stain and crack.

Before treatment, ask for written answers to these questions:

• which material is proposed for each tooth and, for a ceramic, whether it will be layered or a single piece;
• the product name and manufacturer, not only "porcelain", "zirconium" or a trade name;
• for metal-ceramic work, which alloy will be used; for an implant, which system and what each part is made of;
• where each restoration will be made: at the clinic or in a laboratory, and which laboratory;
• what will happen if a restoration chips, breaks or comes off, and what your written plan says about this.

You have the right to be told, on request, who is treating you, and their role and title²⁴.

Records. Under Turkish rules, private dental clinics record the diagnosis, the treatment and any X-rays in detail, with tooth numbers²⁵. You can examine your file and records and get a copy²⁴. Ask for a written record of each restoration: the tooth, material, product and manufacturer, shade and laboratory. For implants, ask for the system name and the part and lot (batch) numbers as well. Keep this record for any dentist who treats you later.

Consent. Turkey's patient rights regulation requires that you be told about the other options, their benefits and risks, and the possible consequences of refusing treatment²⁴. In private dental clinics, a consent form is required for every intervention²⁵. Two copies of the form are signed, and one is given to you²⁴. Ask for your copy.

Aftercare. Ask for your follow-up arrangements and whom to contact if a problem arises, in writing. Contact your clinic if a restoration chips, loosens or comes off, or if pain starts. If pain keeps increasing, or you have facial swelling or a high temperature, see a dentist without waiting for the clinic's reply.

Emergencies. With a suspected dental abscess, the following signs need urgent medical help²⁶. Do not wait for a dental appointment or for the clinic's reply. Go to the nearest emergency department or call 112.

• Difficulty breathing, speaking, swallowing or opening your mouth
• A swollen or painful eye, or sudden problems with your eyesight
• A lot of swelling inside your mouth

Your choice. A second opinion from another dentist gives you a point of comparison. You can say no, or ask to stop, at any stage. Once a tooth has been prepared by removing tissue for a restoration, that step cannot be undone.