Crowns
Keeping teeth well-covered and protected
A crown is designed to be a durable, long-lasting way to conceal a damaged tooth. It can help strengthen the remaining structure and disguise imperfections such as extensive decay, large fillings, discolouration and an irregular shape.
Crowns can be made from a variety of materials including metal, ceramic and composite. As well as concealing an unsightly tooth, they can also be attached to a dental implant or used to support a bridge or denture.
What is the treatment process?
Step One
We administer a local anaesthetic and remove a layer of hard tooth tissue, which makes room for the metal-ceramic material.
Step Two
We take impressions of your teeth and take a note of their colour, so the resulting crown will blend in with your natural teeth. A temporary restoration is then fitted.
Step Three
When the crown has been fabricated by our skilled technicians, we check it for fit and quality before fixing it firmly in position with dental cement.
What are the plus points?
- look similar to real teeth
- permanently fixed in place
- it is hard-wearing and protects weakened teeth
- it can disguise imperfections in the tooth
What else do I need to know?
After having a crown fitted, it is wise to avoid very sticky foods, but after a few hours, you should be able to treat your restored tooth as normal. You just need to take a little care not to subject it to unnecessary force – so refrain from nail-biting or chewing pens etc.
Crowns last longer if they are well-maintained, so it’s important to attend regular check-ups, so we can keep an eye on your crown and the tooth. The main disadvantage of crowns is that the supporting tooth is liable to becoming non-vital in the long-term.
Cases
Before
After
Case 1
This patient was unhappy with the appearance of his teeth and was treated with bleaching and zirconia ceramic crowns.
Before
After
Case 2
This 20 year old patient fractured his front teeth and was treated with porcelain dentine bonded crowns.