Crowns

Last updated 21st October 2023

What is a dental crown?

A crown is a restoration used to restore a broken or damaged tooth. A crown wraps around your tooth, like a helmet, and protects your tooth from further breaking. Crowns can also be used to change the colour or appearance of your teeth.

Unlike a filling, crowns are not made directly in your mouth. They are an in-direct restoration because they are custom-made in a dental lab. A well-made crown will restore what your healthy tooth looks and feels like.

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When is a dental crown needed?

When your tooth is too broken down for a filling
When your tooth has a big filling and is at risk of cracking
When your tooth has had a root canal filling
When your dentist is planning on changing the shape or colour of your tooth
When restoring a gap in your teeth with a bridge
When restoring an implant

A crown is prescribed by your dentist when they think it’s the best way to restore your tooth. Crowns can be very destructive to your natural tooth tissue, so they are never done as an elective procedure. The main benefit of having a crown on your tooth instead of a big filling is that a crown will protect your tooth from cracking in half.

By wrapping around your tooth, a crown will prevent the biting forces of your mouth from cracking and splitting the tooth in half.

As well as protecting your teeth, by placing a crown on your tooth, your dentist can restore the tooth back to its original shape as well as improve the colour and appearance of your tooth. Each crown is custom-made by a technician, so it is completely bespoke to your teeth and bite.

The different types of dental crowns

There are many different materials and types of crowns, too many to list here but below are the main types you need to be aware of.

Metal crowns

Metal crowns are often the thinnest crowns and require the least amount of tooth preparation. Metal crowns are very strong and are mainly used on back teeth.

Gold crowns - Extremely durable and biocompatible. Gold crowns fit extremely well onto teeth and can last a long time, however, gold has become very expensive, and many people now do not like how they look in your smile.
Silver crowns - Made from a cheaper metal alloy, silver crowns are mainly used in the NHS for back teeth that are not visible in your smile.

Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal (PFM) Crowns

PFM crowns consist of a metal substructure with tooth-coloured porcelain layered on top of the metal shell. These crowns require the most amount of tooth preparation and are very rarely used in high-quality dental practices. (Although they are the best option when it comes to restoring implants, that is a completely separate matter).

NHS clinics are likely to use PFM crowns for front teeth

All porcelain/ceramic crowns

An all-porcelain crown has no metal substructure and is completely made from tooth-coloured porcelain materials. Within this category, there are hundreds of different types of porcelains your dentist may choose to work with. All porcelain crowns mimic the colour and translucency of natural teeth the best out of any other crown material.

Pressed ceramic crowns

Pressed ceramic crowns are extremely popular. They are metal-free ceramic crowns that are made in a way that makes them extremely tough and durable just like a metal crown. Your dentist is likely to use a pressed ceramic crown for any crown on your back teeth and may even choose to use them for your front teeth too.

Zirconia crowns

Zirconia crowns are made from zirconium dioxide, a robust and durable ceramic. Known for their exceptional strength, they can withstand extreme wear and tear, making them suitable for both front and back teeth. These crowns are the toughest of them all

Preparing teeth for crowns

Unlike veneers, to place crowns your teeth do in fact need to be cut down to pegs in order to place a crown. Your dentist should only be advising crowns if your teeth are severely broken down, discoloured, dead or if they need them for a specific reason.