Molars take way more force than front teeth, so material choice can matter more for those back teeth.
That hit home for me—I had a molar crown crack a few years ago, and honestly, I still get nervous every time I eat something crunchy. My dentist suggested zirconia for the replacement, but I worried about it being too “hard” and wearing down the tooth above. Has anyone here noticed more sensitivity or jaw aches after getting zirconia? I sometimes clench my teeth at night, so I’m a bit wary.
I get what you mean about the crunch anxiety—after my old porcelain crown cracked, I was so paranoid for months. I’ve had a zirconia molar crown for about two years now. It’s held up great, but I did notice my jaw felt a bit sore at first, probably because I clench too. My dentist made me a night guard and that helped a lot. Did your dentist mention anything about using a softer material on top if you’re worried about wear? I’ve heard some people do that to balance things out.
I get what you mean about the crunch anxiety—after my old porcelain crown cracked, I was so paranoid for months.
That “crunch anxiety” is real... I still wince if I bite down on something weird. My dentist didn’t mention a softer material, but honestly, I wish they had. Zirconia’s tough, but it does make me feel like I’m chewing with a tiny boulder sometimes. Night guard was a total game-changer for my jaw though—no more waking up feeling like I chewed rocks all night.
I totally get the “chewing with a boulder” thing—my zirconia crown is so solid, it’s almost unnerving. I had porcelain before and it cracked after biting into a pita chip (of all things), which made me super jumpy for ages. Honestly, I kind of miss how natural the porcelain felt, but I was too anxious about it breaking again. The night guard’s helped me too, though... at least now I’m not waking up sore or worrying about grinding through another crown.
I’m right there with you on the “chewing with a boulder” vibe. I just got my first crown (zirconia) last month and, honestly, it feels like I could bite through a brick wall now… but also kind of weirdly out of place? My dentist hyped up how tough zirconia is, so now I’m super paranoid about accidentally breaking my real teeth instead. Like, will I end up with one mega tooth and the rest crumbling around it?
I was leaning toward porcelain at first because everyone said it feels more like your real teeth, but then I read so many stories about them cracking on random stuff—like pita chips or even toast. That totally freaked me out. I’m already anxious enough about dental work without worrying about every snack being a potential disaster.
The night guard thing makes sense though. My jaw’s always sore in the morning, so maybe that’s my next step if I want this crown to actually last longer than my fear of the dentist’s drill.
