A tooth crown (also known as a cap) is a restoration that covers and protects a damaged or decayed tooth. This enables us to restore a weakened tooth to its original form and function, allowing you to eat and speak normally.

A crown can be made from metal, ceramics or porcelain-fused-to-metal. The choice depends on the type of tooth, its position in the mouth and other factors.

Dentist: What to Expect from Your First Visit

Dental crowns can be used to restore a severely weakened or broken down tooth by covering and strengthening the remaining structure, or to replace missing teeth. The success of a tooth crown depends largely on the care it receives after treatment. This includes regular oral prophylaxis and routine follow up visits.

To prepare for a crown, your dentist or prosthodontist will first numb the tooth and surrounding tissue using local anesthetic. They will then reshape the tooth to ensure it fits with the teeth above and below it in your bite (‘occlusion’). The tooth may also be built up with filling material before the crown is made.

The crown is fabricated in the laboratory or at the practice by using a range of different porcelains, each with different translucencies, to achieve the best colour match and optical quality compared with the natural tooth. The final restoration is then bonded or cemented to the underlying tooth. Alternatively,’monolithic’ ceramic crowns can be manufactured on a CAD/CAM machine in-house and are designed and fabricated in a single appointment.…