Dental Crowns
Dental Crown treatment is the process of covering the teeth with tooth-shaped materials to protect the teeth that have lost excessive substance for various reasons. This process does not damage the tooth; on the contrary, it prolongs the life of the tooth.
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Dental Crown Treatments
Crowns are used to cover broken, weakened, or treated teeth like filling or root canals. Crowns also offer effective solutions in recovering the aesthetic function of the teeth and in protecting the teeth against fractures.
If you have a tooth that is injured but not completely lost, a crown can restore its shape and function as well. The Crown, called a cap, is a hollow artificial cover that shields the tooth from further impairments. They are also used to cover discolored or malformed teeth.
What is A Dental Crown?
Crown treatment is the process of covering the teeth with tooth-shaped materials to protect the teeth that have lost excessive substance for various reasons. This process does not damage the tooth; on the contrary, it prolongs the life of the tooth. Teeth can also be crowned for aesthetic reasons, but in this case, it would be better to prefer veneers, which cause fewer restorations on the tooth surface.
The amount of abrasion varies according to the type of crowns teeth and the aesthetic expectation. In some cases, the teeth can be covered without abrasion. In implants, it is also possible to apply them with screws, apart from bonding.
The crowns are made both handcrafted in laboratories or untouched by CAD-CAM technology and will not survive for a lifetime. Still, you can expect a survival period of more than 20 years.
Who Needs Dental Crowns?
Among the most important reasons for having a dental crown include are as follows;
A cracked, broken, or chipped tooth
For that kind of case, crown dentistry is strongly suggested since they prevent infections from setting inside and prevent further breakage.
Badly Decayed Tooth
In severe decays, the infected teeth affect neighboring teeth and spread across the mouth. The crowns can also provide quick and effective solitons for that kind of problem.
For Large Fillings and Root Canal Treatment
Large fillings in the teeth are in danger of falling out, crown restoration can provide an ideal solution by giving more strength to the teeth for such cases.
To Cover Misshapen or Severely Stained Teeth
Because of their aesthetically pleasing appearance, they are also preferred for misaligned or heavily stained teeth.
To Cover A Dental Implant
Crowns are dental products that cover the tooth and can also be used on dental implants by adhering or screwing.
Difference Between Veneers and Dental Crowns
Crown and veneers are two important procedures that are indispensable for dental treatments. There are, of course, important differences between these two treatments. The type of material used in these treatments also plays an important role in the main target of these treatments.
Crowns have a thick structure as they cover the entire tooth, and an average of 2 mm trimming is required from the tooth surface to attach them to the tooth. Veneers, on the other hand, are much thinner as they are generally preferred for aesthetic purposes such as tooth stains, discoloration, or minor dental disorders. Only 0.3 mm of trimming is sufficient for a porcelain veneer to provide sound bonding to the tooth.
How Much Is A Dental Crown?
Dental crown cost can vary by almost 2 times depending on the crown used. In this respect, when reviewing the cost of a dental crowns, the material and the crown types should be taken into account. Here are the most commonly used crown types and prices;
| Europe | USA | UK | Turkey | |
| Metal Porcelain Crown (PFM) | €400-€800 | $800-$2000 | £450-£800 | £119-£150 |
| Zirconium Porcelain Crown | €500-€900 | $1000-$2500 | £600-£1000 | £150-£250 |
| Emax Crown | €600-€1000 | $1200-$2500 | £650-£1200 | £200-£300 |
How Long Do Dental Crowns Last?
Crowns are not designed for aesthetic purposes like veneers; their main target is to protect the teeth from external effects and to give them a more solid structure. Therefore, their average lifespan is generally over 20 years, and with careful and attentive care, they can survive up to 25-30 years.
In addition to proper dental care, patients should also take precautions against teeth grinding to extend the life of crowns and should avoid biting hard candies or hard foods.
How Long Does It Take to Make A Dental Crown?
It typically takes two visits to get a dental crown. Root canal or cleaning and filling of the decayed tooth is performed at the first visit, and an impression is taken of the tooth using a casting material put into a dental tray. Then, the dentist waits a while to harden the cast material and remove it to send to a laboratory.
Now, thanks to computer-aided technologies, the production of permanent crowns can be done so quickly without the need to wait too long. Temporary crowns are attached to the patient on the second visit. After the production of the permanent crowns is completed, the patient is called to wear the permanent crowns and get his permanent crowns.
Types of Dental Crown
Dental crowns can be produced from 5 different types of materials and are pided into 5 distinct groups according to their production techniques.
1. Gold Crowns
They are generally used for posterior (back) regions. The main reason for their preference is that they cause less damage to the teeth' surface and are more durable compared to other crowns. The biggest frustrations for these tooth crowns are they are aesthetically far from natural tooth color and may cause allergies in some patients.
2. Porcelain Crowns
Porcelain crowns provide the closest appearance to the tooth color and do not contain metal or toxic substances; therefore do not cause any side effects in the mouth. Porcelain crowns are not as strong as metal crowns and require good maintenance. They are also not recommended for patients with teeth grinding habits.
3. Porcelain Fused to Metal Crowns
Besides being affordable, they can last a very long time. It has been observed that they can last up to 50 years. After treatment, they may form a gray shade on the gums due to gingival recession. In addition, they are not transparent enough because of the metal parts, so they may not fully match the neighboring tooth colors.
4. Zirconia Crowns
Zirconia crowns are more durable than porcelain crowns, and they have a 20% longer survival time compared to porcelain crowns on average. Thanks to the white and transparent structure of zirconia, the desired aesthetic appearance is achieved with these crowns.
Compared to porcelain crowns, their application requires more dental skills because of the hard structure of zirconia. Zirconia tooth crowns need a little more restoration than porcelain crowns, which is their the most important disadvantage.
5. Emax Crowns
Emax crowns are among the most expensive crowns; they are produced by strengthening porcelain crowns with lithium disilicate. Because of their thin structure, they have high-level light transmittance capacity, and applying Emax crowns requires less restoration on the teeth. They are mostly applied, especially in front teeth, to achieve the best desired aesthetic appearance.
Benefits of Dental Crown
Dental crowns are counted among the most beneficial treatments for damaged teeth. The most important advantages of this treatment, which have many benefits and protect the tooth from harmful external effects, are as follows.
CROWNS HELP RELIEVE DISCOMFORT
Teeth undergoing filling or root canal treatment become more sensitive to heat and pressure. To get rid of these problems that disturb the patients, dental crowns play an essential role and prevent permanent damage to the tooth.
DENTAL CROWN PROCEDURE ARE SİMPLE
Dental crowns are known as complex and invasive treatments. However, this is not precisely the case. After the infected tooth is cleaned and made healthy, the crown is prepared by taking necessary tooth measurements. At the next appointment, the prepared crown is fixed on the tooth.
CROWNS CAN RESTORE THE APPEARANCE OF TEETH
Although dental crowns are designed as a complementary treatment for damaged or decayed teeth, they contribute significantly to the patient's smile design. They are very effective in sealing discoloration, misshapen, chips, cracks, and fractures on the teeth.
LAST FOR A LONG TIME
Dental crowns cover the entire tooth and receive maximum support from the tooth. In addition, they are designed in a thickness that can withstand all kinds of outside impacts and pressure. So they can last up to 30 years or more with proper dental care.
Why Get Dental Crowns in Turkey?
From Europe, the USA, and UK, many people are looking for affordable dental treatment abroad. Turkey, providing roughly seventy percent price advantage, is visited by more than 100,000 dental tourists every year. Due to the highly competitive dental tourism in Turkey, dental clinics make high-cost investments to attract more tourists. You can even find dental clinics here that are above European and American standards.
Education of Turkish Dentists
To become a dentist in Turkey, students must complete 5 to 6 years of hard training, including 2 years of internship.
Does Turkish Dentist Speak English?
Communication with the patient is very important, especially in aesthetic dental treatments. For this reason, dentists must have a good level of English. Dental clinics in Turkey have dentists who speak English fluently to meet the needs of their foreign patients, and many Turkish dental clinics also provide consultation services in UK. You can also benefit from the free consultation service of Antlara Dental Office Located in London.
Dental clinics in Antalya have become very popular, especially among British and German tourists. Antalya, which has warm seas and magnificent beaches, is preferred by foreign tourists as there are direct flights from almost all over the world, and well-equipped high-tech clinics are located here.
Why Are Dental Crowns Cheaper in Turkey?
Although Turkey has a very developed health infrastructure, it has become an affordable country not only in the field of dentistry but also in every field, as the Turkish Lira has devalued at least 5 times against foreign currencies in the last 5 years.
You can find high-quality dental treatments with affordable dental crowns cost in Turkey because the labor costs are so affordable, and the government has reduced the taxes to zero for the benefit of health tourism.
Crown, Filling, Onlay or Veneer: Where the Threshold Is
A crown is the most protective restoration available for a natural tooth and also the one that removes the most tooth structure. Those two facts pull in opposite directions, which is why the decision is made on how much sound tooth remains rather than on preference or price.
| Option | Covers | Tooth removed | Right when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filling | The cavity only | Just the decay | The cavity is small and the cusps are intact |
| Onlay | One or more cusps | Moderate | A cusp is damaged but much of the tooth is sound |
| Veneer | The front surface | A thin layer of enamel | The tooth is sound and the problem is appearance |
| Crown | The whole tooth | The most | The tooth is weakened and needs holding together |
The practical test
Ask what proportion of the tooth is still sound. Once a filling occupies more than roughly half the biting surface, or once a cusp has cracked, the remaining walls flex under load and a larger filling simply becomes a bigger wedge inside a weaker tooth. That is the point where a crown stops removing tooth unnecessarily and starts preventing the tooth from splitting.
The two situations where a crown is almost always right
- After root canal treatment on a back tooth. The tooth has lost structure twice, to the decay and to the access cavity, and it is no longer supplied by a living pulp. Our root canal treatment page explains why cusps shear off years later without one.
- On an implant. There is no natural crown to restore, so one is made.
And the situation where it is usually wrong
A sound front tooth that you simply want to look different. Crowning it removes the whole tooth surface for a cosmetic change a veneer would achieve with a fraction of the reduction. Our crowns versus veneers page sets out that line, and it is the single most common place where patients are over treated.
Which Crown Material Suits Which Tooth
No material is best everywhere. Strength and translucency work against each other, so the choice follows the position of the tooth and the forces on it.
| Material | Strength | Appearance | Typically used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zirconia | Very high | Good, less translucent than glass ceramic | Molars, bridges, heavy bites, masking dark teeth |
| E-max, lithium disilicate | High | Excellent, closest to natural enamel | Front teeth and premolars where appearance leads |
| Porcelain fused to metal | High | Acceptable, can show a grey line as gums recede | Less visible teeth, longer span bridges, budget driven cases |
| Gold alloy | Very high, kind to opposing teeth | Visibly metal | Back molars where appearance is not a concern |
Two factors patients are rarely told about
The colour of the tooth underneath. A translucent material lets the stump show through. On a root treated, dark or metal post tooth, a translucent crown looks grey, and the honest options are an opaque material or more reduction to allow extra thickness. This decides the material more often than the patient's preference does.
The opposing tooth. Hard ceramics wear the natural teeth they bite against, particularly when the surface has been adjusted and not repolished. If you are crowning upper molars that bite against natural lower ones, the material and the finish of the biting surface matter more than the shade.
Our comparison of zirconium crowns against porcelain goes through the trade in more detail.
How Much Tooth Is Removed, and Where the Margin Goes
Two technical decisions made during preparation determine how a crown performs for the next decade, and neither usually appears in a quote.
How much is reduced
A crown needs a uniform thickness of material to be strong, so the tooth is reduced on every surface, typically between 1 and 2 mm depending on the material. Zirconia can be made thinner than porcelain fused to metal, which means less tooth has to go. The reduction is permanent and it is the reason a crown is not a cosmetic first choice on a healthy tooth.
Where the edge sits
The margin is the junction between crown and tooth, and it can be placed at the gum level, slightly above it, or hidden below it. Below the gum looks better on a front tooth in the short term, and it is harder to clean, harder to take an accurate impression of, and more likely to inflame the gum. Many of the red, puffy gum lines seen around new crowns come from margins placed deeper than they needed to be for appearance.
The ferrule, which is why some teeth cannot be crowned
A crown grips best when there is a band of sound tooth standing proud of the gum all the way round, usually a couple of millimetres. Without it, the crown is essentially sitting on a filling, and it loosens. Where decay has gone below the gum, that band can sometimes be created by crown lengthening or by orthodontic extrusion, and sometimes it cannot, in which case the honest answer is extraction and an implant rather than a crown that will fail.
You are entitled to ask both questions before treatment: how much will be reduced, and where will the margin sit.
What Goes Wrong With Crowns, and What the Signs Are
The crown itself rarely fails. What fails is the tooth underneath or the join between the two, and most of it is detectable early.
Decay under the crown
The most common reason a crown is lost. The crown does not decay but the tooth at its edge does, and that edge sits at the gum line where plaque collects. Because the decay is hidden, it is often advanced before it causes symptoms. Cleaning between the teeth daily and routine radiographs are what catch it. Floss that catches or shreds at one spot is a sign worth reporting.
Sensitivity that does not settle
Some sensitivity for a few weeks after fitting is normal. Sensitivity that persists, or pain on biting, can mean a high spot in the bite, an irritated nerve, or a leaking margin. A high spot takes minutes to adjust and causes real damage if it is left, so it is worth going back rather than waiting it out.
A loose or lost crown
Usually the cement has failed, the tooth underneath has decayed, or there was not enough tooth to grip. Keep the crown, do not try to glue it back yourself, and get it assessed. Re-cementing a crown onto a decayed stump traps the problem.
A dark line at the gum
With porcelain fused to metal, the metal substructure can show as the gum recedes. With any material, the root surface itself becomes visible as recession progresses. This is cosmetic rather than urgent, and it is a reason to treat the gums rather than simply replace the crown, as the new one will do the same thing otherwise.
Chipping
Mostly from grinding. Small chips in layered ceramic can sometimes be polished or repaired, and a fractured framework means replacement. A night guard is the preventable part.
A Crown on an Implant Is Not the Same as a Crown on a Tooth
The two are often quoted under the same heading, and they behave differently in ways worth knowing before you compare prices.
No ligament, no warning
A natural tooth sits in a periodontal ligament that compresses slightly under load and carries nerves that tell you when you are biting too hard. An implant is fused directly to bone, so it neither cushions nor warns. The bite on an implant crown therefore has to be adjusted deliberately so that it takes slightly less load than the teeth around it, particularly in side to side movements. A bite that feels fine to you can still be overloading it.
Different parts, different failure modes
An implant crown sits on an abutment, which is screwed into the implant. Screw loosening is a specific complication that does not exist on a natural tooth, and it is usually solved by retightening rather than replacing anything, provided the components are available. This is why the implant system should be recorded in writing and why unbranded systems cause trouble years later.
Cleaning matters more, not less
An implant cannot decay, but the bone around it can be lost to peri-implantitis, and that process is painless until it is advanced. The area under and around an implant crown needs deliberate daily cleaning and professional review. Our dental implant page covers the maintenance in full, and periodontal treatment explains why gum health decides the outcome for both kinds of crown.
Dental Crowns FAQ
Dental Crowns - AntalyaIf necessary, dental crowns can be removed and replaced with a new ones. However, sometimes it may not be possible to wear a new crown due to excessive tooth decay or trauma.
Minor damages on dental crowns can be easily repaired with composite resin or composite materials. However, fractures that are too large to be fixed with composite resin may need to be replaced with a new crown.
After crown treatment, patients may not get used to their new teeth for 2 or 3 weeks and may feel the new crown bulkier. If you still don't feel comfortable after that period, it is better to have your crown checked by your dentist.
Improper attachment on a filling or root canal treatment may leave a room where food debris can get stuck.
The most important points that you should pay attention to for proper dental crown maintenance are as follows;
- You should avoid tough and sticky foods,
- You should continue to brush and floss as you would do with your regular teeth.
- You should use the night guard recommended by your dentist, if you have grinding habits.
- You should have regular checkups with your dentist.
Dental Crowns: Questions Patients Ask Us
The questions that come up most often before and after having a crown fitted.
It depends on how much sound tooth is left rather than on the size of the cavity alone. Once a filling would occupy more than roughly half the biting surface, or once a cusp has cracked, the remaining walls flex under load and a bigger filling acts as a wedge in a weakening tooth. That is the point where a crown stops being excessive and starts preventing the tooth from splitting.
There is no single best, because strength and translucency work against each other. Zirconia suits molars, bridges, heavy bites and masking dark teeth. E-max looks closest to natural enamel and suits front teeth and premolars. Porcelain fused to metal is durable but can show a grey line as gums recede. The colour of the tooth underneath often decides the choice more than preference does.
Typically between 1 and 2 mm from every surface, because a crown needs a uniform thickness of material to be strong. Zirconia can be made thinner than porcelain fused to metal, so less tooth has to go. The reduction is permanent, which is why a crown is not the first choice on a sound tooth where a veneer or an onlay would achieve the same thing.
Most often because the margin, the join between crown and tooth, was placed deeper below the gum than it needed to be. That position looks better initially but is harder to clean and harder to take an accurate impression of, and the gum responds with inflammation. It can also be cement left behind or a rough margin. Either way it needs assessing rather than waiting out.
Yes, and it is the most common reason a crown is eventually lost. The crown itself does not decay, but the tooth at its edge does, and that edge sits at the gum line where plaque collects. Because the decay is hidden, it is often advanced before it causes symptoms. Floss that catches or shreds at one spot is an early sign worth reporting.
Keep it, do not try to glue it back yourself, and have it assessed. A crown comes off because the cement failed, because the tooth underneath decayed, or because there was never enough sound tooth to grip. Re-cementing onto a decayed stump traps the problem rather than solving it. Avoid chewing on that side and keep the exposed tooth clean until it is seen.
Some sensitivity for a few weeks after fitting is normal. Pain on biting that does not settle usually means a high spot in the bite, which takes minutes to adjust and does real damage if left, or an irritated nerve, or a margin that is leaking. It is worth returning rather than waiting, because the cheapest of those fixes is also the most common cause.
Many years, and what determines it is rarely the material. It is whether decay reaches the margin, whether the gums stay healthy, whether the bite is even, and whether grinding has been addressed. A crown on a well maintained tooth outlasts the same crown on a poorly cleaned one by a wide margin, which is why cleaning between the teeth matters more after crowns, not less.
No. An implant has no periodontal ligament, so it neither cushions the load nor warns you through the nerve, and the bite has to be adjusted so it takes slightly less force than the teeth around it. An implant crown also sits on a screwed abutment, so screw loosening is a specific complication that does not exist on a natural tooth, and it needs the matching components to resolve.
Dt. Dilek Aksu Güler
Cosmetic Dentist, Dental Implant Specialist
Dt. Dilek Aksu Güler specializes in implantology, digital smile design and cosmetic dentistry. She is the founding dentist of Antlara Dental Oral and Dental Health Clinic.