In many ways, our teeth are a wonder of nature! From the day they erupt, we subject them to regular gnashing, acid attacks, hot and cold multiple times a day- so it’s normal to expect other the decades we will experience varying levels of wear and tear.

So what do we do when things breakdown? Generally, for smaller cavities, a filling can provide a quick and long-lasting restorative option. However, for larger cavities or fractures, or root canal treated teeth, we need to often employ a more robust, reliable restorative option in the form of a Crown or Onlay restoration to prevent further loss of our essential tooth structure!

What is a Crown/Onlay?

A Crown is a term used to describe an artificial cap or layer that is fitted on the biting surface of a tooth.

They are created in a furnace by a trained & registered lab technician, under intense heat and pressure giving them better strength and durability than that of fillings which are set within the mouth. For ceramic veneers, the same approach is taken, the added benefit of a crown is that it generally doesn’t stain or tarnish as a composite filling would.

The difference between a Crown & an Onlay is essentially the amount of tooth requiring protection. If a crown is partially covering a tooth its is generally termed an Onlay- if the entire tooth is encompassed, it’s termed a crown.

There are many, many different materials that can be chosen to create a crown, and so having a conversation about what you’d like is essential! To simplify things we can break them down into: Ceramics, Porcelain fused to Metal & Gold or Metal.

What is a Bridge?

Where a tooth or teeth have been lost, a Bridge can be used to replace the teeth missing, by using the natural adjacent tooth/teeth to support an artificial floating tooth. There are different ways in which a bridge can be designed, the below video by Colgate illustrates some of the options.

Price Range per Crown/Onlay: Ceramic or Zirconia from £690, Gold alloy from £850, Porcelain-fused-to-metal from £650

Bridges: from £850-3000