Dental Crowns

• If the tooth has suffered a large fracture then a dental crown can protect the remaining part of the tooth.
• If a significant part of a tooth is lost due to dental decay then a crown is much stronger than a filling.
• During root canal treatment, a large portion of the tooth is removed or discoloured. A dental crown can fix this issue.
• Patients who grind their teeth can gain protection by having a crown placed over worn or damaged teeth.
• Crowns can also be used for cosmetic purposes to improve the look of a tooth.

All Ceramic Crown

All ceramic crowns have no grey metal inside. Therefore, they are often used for the visible front teeth. If over time, the gum recedes, there will be no grey metal margin on show. All ceramic crowns are the most aesthetically pleasing crowns.

All Zirconia Crown

Zirconia crowns are usually used for back molar teeth. These crowns have no porcelain, so the risk of crown fracture is far less. In terms of tooth reduction, these crowns need minimal tooth reduction similar to gold crowns and are almost as strong as gold crowns. Zirconia crowns are not quite as aesthetically pleasing as ceramic crowns but are still white in colour and look natural.

Porcelain bonded to metal Crown

Porcelain bonded to metal crowns have a metal core on the inside and porcelain bonded to the outside. However, the thin porcelain layer can fracture more easily than other crowns. Theses crowns were extensively used in the past but have now been mostly replaced by Zirconium and Ceramic crowns.

Gold Crown

Gold crowns are the strongest crowns available. They are usually used for back molar teeth. Gold crowns need minimal tooth reduction. Gold crowns are the most expensive and least aesthetic crowns and are mainly used in patients who are serious teeth clencher and grinders (Bruxist).

1. Clinical assessment and an X-ray is taken to make sure the tooth is healthy. We will discuss the tooth crown options with you so that you can choose the best dental crown for you.
2. Preparation of the tooth is carried out along with digital scans sent to the lab. A temporary crown is then fitted. We use the iTero 5D digital scanning system for our digital scanning. The iTero handheld wand takes a digital, 3D image of your teeth instead of using a traditional rubber mould. The digital image is electronically sent to the dental laboratory immediately. This speeds up the process of crown manufacture.
3. The Itero Digital Scanner helps eliminate patient gagging which is the problem with traditional impressions and moulds taken for construction of dental crowns in the past.
4. Fitting of the final crown is done with high strength resin cement once the crown has returned from the lab. The resin cement provides a chemical bond between the tooth and the crown. In order to increase the bond strength between the tooth and the crown, at Pearl Dental Clinic we use the AquaCare Air Abrasion system which uses high pressure Aluminium Oxide particles to create an additional mechanical bond for the crown. This significantly reduces the risk of the crown debonding in future.
5. If you need a new dental crown quickly, we can provide an express 24 hour new dental crown service for you.

How long do dental crowns last?

With good regular maintenance, crowns can last 10-15 years.