Crowns are usually made of porcelain, and we make use of the most recent in Ceramic technology including use of eMAX ceramic crowns and onlays, and superstrong Zirconia ceramic. Occasionally, the porcelain ‘tooth’ may have a gold or metal core. Where a natural appearance is not imperative (e.g. at the back of your mouth), a gold or other metal crown works extremely well.

We will decrease the dimensions of the current filling and tooth to make space for the new crown, and then take a mold which is sent to a specialist dental technician. Sometimes the filling in the tooth to be crowned is entirely extracted to check for decay and to rebuild the tooth for increased strength. We fit a temporary crown to cover your tooth until the permanent crown has been made by a dental technician. Once your permanent crown is ready, we then check the fit and appearance before bonding it in place.

Cracked tooth syndrome is a term which describes a series of symptoms that occur when crack within a tooth opens and closes slightly when your tooth is in use (flexing).

It is a common problem in teeth with large fillings in them or teeth that have experienced un-favourable stresses (such as grinding). You are alerted by symptoms such as sensitivity to hot, cold, biting or sweet foods.

The pulp (nerve) in the cracked tooth will suffer pressure from the movement and may also be exposed to bacteria inflaming the tooth & causing pain. Without prompt treatment the pulp will become inflamed or the crack can spread and deepen and part of the tooth may break off. In this case the tooth may require a root canal treatment or extraction. To protect what remains of the tooth from breaking in an undesirable place, placing a crown is recommended to seal the remaining structure from further damage and build up the shape of the tooth for functional use.