Dental Crowns in Scarborough

The cost depends on the material and how much work the tooth needs, such as a filling or root canal. A crown costs more than a filling since it's custom-made and covers the whole tooth, but it can save a tooth a filling couldn't. Many plans and CDCP help cover crowns. After your exam we give an exact written quote.

With good care, a crown often lasts many years, commonly a decade or more. How long it lasts depends on the material, where the tooth is in your mouth, and how well you look after it. Brushing and flossing around the crown, avoiding biting hard objects, and coming in for regular checkups all help. Crowns can eventually wear or come loose and may need replacing over a lifetime.

Preparing the tooth is done under local anaesthetic, so you should not feel pain during the appointment. Some people notice mild sensitivity afterward, especially to hot and cold, while wearing the temporary crown, and this usually settles once the permanent crown is bonded. If the tooth was already very sensitive or infected, we address that first, sometimes with a root canal, so the crowned tooth is comfortable.

Crowns can be made from all-porcelain or ceramic, metal, or a combination of porcelain fused to metal. All-porcelain crowns look the most natural and are popular for front teeth, while metal and porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns are very strong for back teeth that do heavy chewing. We explain the trade-offs of each in plain language and recommend the material that best suits the tooth and your bite.

A filling replaces a small part of a tooth and is used when most of the tooth is still healthy. A crown covers the entire tooth like a cap and is used when a tooth is too cracked, worn, or weakened for a filling to hold. In short, a filling patches a tooth, while a crown wraps around and protects the whole thing. We recommend whichever the tooth actually needs.

Often, yes, especially for back teeth. A tooth that has had a root canal loses its inner blood supply and becomes more brittle, so it is prone to cracking under chewing forces. A crown caps and protects it, greatly improving how long it lasts. For some front teeth a filling may be enough, but for molars that do heavy chewing, a crown is usually the safest choice.

A crown restores a single damaged tooth by capping it. A bridge replaces a missing tooth by joining crowns on the teeth either side of the gap to a false tooth in the middle. So a crown fixes a tooth you still have, while a bridge fills a space where a tooth is gone. If you are missing a tooth, we will discuss a bridge, an implant, or a denture.

Care for a crown much like a natural tooth: brush twice a day, floss around it daily, and keep up with regular checkups. The crown itself will not decay, but the natural tooth underneath can get cavities at the edges if plaque builds up, so cleaning the gumline matters. Avoid using the tooth to bite hard objects like ice or pen caps, which can chip or loosen the crown.

A traditional crown usually takes two visits. At the first, we prepare the tooth, take an impression or scan, and fit a temporary crown. At the second, once the custom crown is back from the lab, we check the fit and colour and bond it in place. The visits are typically a couple of weeks apart. We will tell you the timeline for your specific tooth.

If a crown comes off, keep it, avoid chewing on that side, and call us to have it checked and re-cemented or replaced. In the meantime, keep the exposed tooth clean, and you can cover it with pharmacy dental cement for comfort, but do not use household glue. The tooth underneath is vulnerable, so it should not be left uncovered for long. We are open seven days a week for repairs.

The crown itself cannot decay, but the natural tooth beneath it can develop a cavity where the crown meets the tooth if plaque is left to build up. That is why cleaning around the gumline and flossing are important even on a crowned tooth. Regular checkups let us catch any decay at the edges early, before it undermines the crown. Good daily care keeps the tooth beneath healthy.

Keeping your natural tooth is usually the better choice when a crown can save it. Pulling the tooth leaves a gap that affects your bite and often needs a bridge, implant, or denture to fill, which typically costs more overall. A crown protects and restores the tooth you already have. If a tooth is too damaged to save, we will explain that honestly and discuss your replacement options.