PFM stands for Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal, and is a type of
crown used to
restore the
teeth.
PFMs have some
advantages over
full gold crowns in that they are
tooth-colored, instead of
gold, so you needn't look like a
pirate if a
front tooth gets badly
damaged.
However, they do
wear down the
opposing teeth more rapidly, and can break. Plus, in the
front of the mouth, the older style of these crowns had a
metal collar, which was a
dead giveaway that that tooth had a crown placed on it. Today, though, they will usually employ a
porcelain margin, thus eliminating the unsightly collar.