A crown is a cap that covers a tooth on every side down to the gum line. Zirconia is a white, metal-free ceramic that is strong enough for back teeth and, in its more translucent forms, natural-looking enough for front teeth. Crowns are milled from a digital scan of your teeth and then shaded and finished by hand.
A crown is a bigger step than a veneer. It is the right choice for some teeth and the wrong one for others, so this page explains both.
Who it’s for
Crowns are meant for teeth that have already lost a lot of their structure:
- teeth with large or repeatedly replaced fillings
- cracked or broken teeth
- back teeth after root canal treatment, which become brittle
- teeth that carry a bridge to replace a missing neighbour
- badly worn teeth, for example from grinding, where the bite needs rebuilding
If your teeth are healthy and you want them whiter, straighter-looking or a different shape, a crown is usually not the best option. Veneers and composite bonding change the front of the tooth and keep most of it intact.
Crowns and “Turkey teeth”
The phrase is used in the UK for crowns placed on healthy teeth that were cut down heavily, often to small pegs, to fit a full set quickly. Removing that much tooth can inflame the nerve, and some of those teeth later need root canal treatment or are lost.
We prefer the least invasive option that gives the result you want, because tooth removed can’t be put back. A zirconia crown needs roughly 1 to 2 mm taken off the outer surface. That is enough for the ceramic to be strong and no more. Your written plan lists each tooth, what it receives and why.
How it’s done
Day 1. A free examination and panoramic X-ray, then your final plan and price. Under local anaesthesia the teeth are shaped, scanned and fitted with temporary crowns. This takes two to four hours depending on the number of teeth.
Days 2–3. The lab mills the crowns from your scan. You have nothing scheduled.
Day 4. Try-in. You see the crowns in your mouth and we check colour, shape and bite together before they are finished.
Days 5–7. The crowns are cemented, the bite is adjusted and you get written aftercare notes.
If the X-ray shows an infection under a tooth, it is treated before the crown is fitted. That can add a day or two, and you are told the price for the extra work before anything is done.
Before you travel
Send a panoramic X-ray and smile photos in daylight. If a tooth already aches, tell us: it may need root canal treatment first. Bring photos of your teeth from a few years ago if you liked their shape then; they help the lab.
Afterwards
Teeth can feel sensitive to cold for a few days, and the new bite can feel unfamiliar until your muscles adjust. If one tooth hits first when you close, come back before you fly so we can adjust it. Clean the crowns as you clean your own teeth, with floss or interdental brushes at the gum line, and keep your regular check-ups at home. If you grind at night, a night guard protects the crowns.
Risks and alternatives
Preparing a tooth for a crown can irritate the nerve. Most settle; a few need root canal treatment later. Zirconia is very strong, but the ceramic layer on some crowns can chip. Over the years the gum can recede and show the edge of the crown. Once a tooth has been prepared for a crown, it will always need one.
The alternatives depend on the tooth: a filling or an inlay or onlay for moderate damage, a veneer or composite bonding for cosmetic changes on healthy front teeth, and E.max (lithium disilicate) crowns where maximum translucency matters more than strength.
Which option suits your teeth?
Send photos or an X-ray and we’ll write, tooth by tooth, what we recommend and why.
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