What is a Dental Crown?

A crown is most often placed on a tooth where a filling, inlay or onlay would not sufficiently restore the tooth. This is usually on teeth which are already heavily restored with a filling which may be failing, are fractured, are under heavy occlusal forces and are decayed, or in brittle teeth which are likely to fracture– for example in root filled teeth, however with the popularity of cosmetic dentistry some dentists may place crowns on teeth purely to improve their appearance.

Crowns are laboratory made permanent restorations which cover at least three quarters of the crown of the natural tooth. As they are made in a dental laboratory a patient will need at least two separate appointments to complete the treatment.

There are several types of crowns available, many of which have been developed and become more popular in recent years.

Metal crowns are often used for NHS patients in posterior teeth, or for private patients may be used in teeth which are unlikely to withstand heavy occlusal forces. Metal crowns available include;

• Gold
• Precious metal
• Non-precious metal

Tooth coloured crowns include

• Porcelain jacket crowns
• Porcelain bonded crowns (either bonded to precious or non-precious metal)
• Ceramic crowns – procera, authentic, empress and zirconia, for example

Although these types of crowns are most commonly used on anterior teeth, they can, and are, used on posterior teeth however, the patient must pay a private fee for them as the NHS doesn’t cover tooth coloured crowns on molar teeth.

If a tooth does not require the placement of a post or a core build up a crown can be prepared for and fitted in two visits, however if either of these are required there may be more appointments for the patient to attend ( see post crowns and core build ups).