A dental crown is an artificial tooth crown made of porcelain with or without a metal underlay structure. It is designed to cover the whole tooth.

Crowns may be used to:

• Restore an already broken tooth or a tooth that has been severely worn down
• Protect a weak tooth from breaking or to hold together parts of a cracked tooth
• Hold a dental bridge in place
• Cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn’t a lot of tooth structure left
• Cover a dental implant
• Cover misshaped or severely discoloured teeth

The procedure

During the procedure, part of the tooth surface or filling is removed allowing for a mould to be taken, from which the crown is fabricated. Provisional covers or temporary crowns are fitted on the teeth while the fabrication is undertaken. On the second visit these covers are removed, while the customized, carefully crafted crowns are cemented in place.

A crown is often the best way to save a tooth and strengthen it.