What are they?
The crown is the part of your tooth which is visible in the mouth. An artificial crown will completely cover a weak tooth above your gum line and protect it. Crowns are made of metal (silver or gold) or dental porcelain, or dental porcelain with metal inside for added strength.

What does fitting a crown involve?
We will first establish how damaged your tooth is and whether it needs to be built up with a filling. If the damage is extensive, your tooth might also need to be root-filled – this is sometimes called ‘removing the nerve’. If a lot of the tooth is missing or decayed we may have to place a peg in the root canal to hold the crown in place. We will then reshape the original crown of your tooth so that when the artificial crown is added the whole structure will be the same size as a normal tooth.

How long will the whole process take?
Preparation time will depend on the health of your teeth. We will then use a soft malleable material to make exact impressions, or moulds, of the tooth that is to be crowned and of the nearby teeth. A thin cord may be used to hold the gum away from the tooth so the impression is accurate around the edges. Our dental technicians use these moulds to craft a beautiful natural looking crown of exactly the right colour and size to match your existing teeth.

A temporary crown made of plastic or metal is put over the tooth until the permanent crown is made. You can chew with a temporary crown but it won’t be as strong as the finished one. When the crown is fitted, your dentist will make small adjustments to make sure you can bite comfortably. The crown is tried on first, and then glued into place.

What are the benefits?
A crown is strong and can look and feel exactly like a natural tooth. The colour and shape can be matched to your own teeth. Depending on the strength of the tooth underneath, a crown can last for many years if you look after your teeth and the crown is not accidentally damaged.