Crowns 

Our crowns are fit for a king or queen.

Like hard-wearing tooth-shaped caps, crowns protect damaged, broken or cracked teeth from the forces we exert on them during chewing. Custom-made to fit around your damaged tooth, they are particularly useful in cases where not much tooth structure remains. And thanks to advances in dental technology, the new tooth-coloured porcelain crowns don’t just protect your teeth, but blend in perfectly with your smile as well.  

The different types of crowns

Crowns come in different materials, all of which have pros & cons. The main three are:

Gold crowns:
The strongest of the three, gold crowns are often used for teeth that are out of view as they don’t blend in with existing teeth.

Metal ceramic crowns:
With a metal alloy gold core and an aesthetically pleasing porcelain shell, this type of crown can be used for teeth that are in view.

Tooth coloured porcelain crowns:
The latest porcelain crowns let light partially filter through, which makes them look just like your other teeth. With the absence of a metal core on the inside, the tell-tale grey lines that are usually seen with the older metal ceramic crowns are no longer there.

Why use crowns?

There are many reasons for crowning a tooth, but the main goal is always to protect it from chewing forces. Because a considerable portion of the tooth needs to be removed before placing a crown, this treatment is rarely used for aesthetic purposes alone. Crowns can be placed when:

• Teeth are heavily decayed, fractured or eroded
• Teeth feature a large cavity
• A dental implant needs covering
• Root canal treatment has taken place 

The fitting of crowns 

Crowns can usually be fitted in just two visits:

Visit 1: 

• We discuss your treatment options, considering which type of crowns will work best for you and if crowns are indeed the best option.
• Next, the tooth is prepared by first cleaning it and removing any decay.
• Using local anaesthesia, we re-shape the tooth using a special drill, so it can accommodate the crown.
• We take a mould of the tooth using dental putty, which our in-house lab will use to custom-create your new crown.
• We fit a temporary crown so you can use your tooth normally.

Visit 2:   

• The temporary crown is removed.
• We roughen the surface of your tooth to accommodate the new crown.
• We check your new crown has a good fit and colour-match.
• If the results are good, we cement your new crown firmly into place and fix your smile!

Read more about crowns 

• Crowns on Wikipedia
• Crowns on Cosmeticdentistryguide.com

Start protecting your damaged teeth today and get in touch to talk about crowns for you.