Crowns can be made in gold, a combination of metal and porcelain or pure porcelain. At PLUS1, we make the vast majority of crowns today in the extremely strong material zirconium, possibly with fired porcelain. This gives a beautiful natural result and the crown looks exactly like a natural tooth.

The crown is painted to match the color and markings of your other teeth. If you want brighter teeth, make sure you have your teeth whitened first, as a crown cannot be whitened afterwards.

The conditions below are typical reasons why you have a weakened tooth that needs crown treatment:

• You have a root canal treated tooth, as root canal treated teeth are weakened and break more easily than intact teeth
• Your tooth has suffered an impact and the size of the lost tooth piece means that a plastic filling does not have the necessary strength
• Your tooth is exposed to a very large hole
• Your tooth has large and insufficient plastic or silver fillings
• Your tooth has deep cracks.

On your first visit, the dentist will numb your tooth and grind it all around and vertically to make room for the new crown. Next, the dentist will take an impression, which is sent to our technician. To protect your tooth while you're waiting for the crown, you'll need to wear a temporary crown, which is made of plastic. The temporary crown ensures that you can smile and chew normally. It also keeps the neighboring teeth in place so they don't shift.

Most of the time you won't feel anything after the grinding, but some may experience some tooth sensitivity and gum soreness. After about 14 days, your crown will be attached to the tooth. It is attached with a special strong cement that acts like glue. There is rarely any discomfort after crown treatment, but sensitivity from the tooth for up to a few weeks afterwards is not uncommon. If you continue to experience discomfort or pain, contact us so we can assess whether your tooth needs root canal treatment. Approximately 10% of all teeth that receive a crown will need root canal treatment at a later stage. Often, a small opening can be made in the crown, which is then filled with plastic so that a new crown is not necessary.

If you have a hard bite or you grind your teeth at night, we recommend a bite guard because there is a risk that the porcelain on the crown will weaken and crack over time.

Generally speaking, a dental crown can last 15-20 years, but there are many different factors that affect its durability. If you take really good care of your dental crown, it can basically last a lifetime.

The best way to look after your dental crown is to maintain good oral hygiene. This means being diligent with your toothbrush and floss to avoid problems with periodontal disease and caries under the crown.

If you can rock your crown back and forth, it's a sign that the crown is loose.
If you come in with a loose crown, the dentist will clean it and put it back in place if possible.

If there is a cavity under the crown or something else wrong with the tooth, you may need a new crown.

The price of a dental crown depends mainly on the material it is made of.