If everything pivoted around the cost of different dental crowns, people would only get metal and Porcelain fused to metal (PFM) crowns. For the reasons listed below, this is not the case at all, as All-Porcelain crowns are actually the most common, while definitely not the cheapest.

Which tooth do you need the crown on?

If you need a crown on a front tooth like the central or lateral incisors or canine's you definitely want the most aesthetic crown, the all porcelain one. The porcelain is the most tooth-like because the colors can actually be adjusted to that of your other teeth.

If you however need a crown on a back tooth like the molars, you should get a gold crown. These last almost twice as long as porcelain crowns, and aren't really seen even when you smile. Moreover, the mechanical properties or gold over porcelain are softness, and less damage to the opposing tooth that the crown hits when you bite.

Advantages of All Ceramic (porcelain) Crowns

Esthetics

Better translucency/light transmission

Less metal shadow showing through soft tissue

Don't need to block out of the metal coping (no metal oxide or opaque porcelain)

Opaque internal coping (translucency varies, some more opaque than others)

Disadvantages of All Ceramic Crowns

Many different systems

Test of time

Problems with CAD/CAM Ceramics

Machine-created flaws (surface flaws)

Shrinkage after sintering

Different crystalline phases

Chipping

How much of your existing tooth will be removed?

To create a crown, part of the existing tooth needs to be removed (through drilling). For PFM and porcelain crowns, usually at least 2 mm has to be removed. For ceramic crowns, at the center of the tooth, about 1.5 mm has to be taken out, and toward the bottom of your teeth (near the gums) about 1.1-1.3 mm is removed. For gold crowns, only 1.5 mm has to be removed, making them the better option.

What kind of crowns do actual dentists get for themselves?

It turns out that dentists rarely get PFM and metal crowns for themselves. These types of crowns last anywhere from 5-10 years, while all-porcelain crowns can last anywhere from 10-15 years on average. Porcelain can chip or crack, whereas gold crowns on the other hand typically last 20+ years. Most dentists get gold crowns because they last longer, reduce damage to opposing teeth, and require less removal of tooth structure.