Crowns & Onlays

Crowns and Onlays are examples of indirect restorations (made "indirectly", by a dental laboratory at an external site).

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These types of restorations are options for teeth which:

• Have lost significant amounts of tooth structure due to tooth decay or trauma.

• Have undergone root canal treatment and are therefore more brittle and at a greater risk of fracture.

• Have very large fillings in them which are regularly failing or have fracture-lines stemming from them, extending into the natural tooth tissue.

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There are also other situations in which your dentist may advise you to consider a crown or onlay.

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The process for crowns is split into two appointments:

1. Preparation:

• The dentist takes impressions, records the bite and shaves down the tooth to make space for the crown.

• The amount of tooth shaved off depends on the tooth, whether there is any decay/fracture lines in the tooth, and the material of crown to be placed on the tooth.

• We check you're happy with the tooth shade (for non-metal crowns only).

• The dentist will then send the impressions/bite record to the laboratory who will create a custom made crown/onlay for your tooth.

• You will be given a temporary crown to help protect the tooth while you're waiting for your crown to be fitted.

• It usually takes 10-14 days for the lab to return the indirect restoration back to us for fitting.

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Before commencing the crown preparation, your dentist will discuss different material options with you.

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Different materials have different pros and cons, including:

• Strength

• Aesthetics

• Toughness

• Wear resistance

• Requirement to remove more/less tooth structure during preparation

• Cost