Dental Crowns Sydney
Restore Strength, Function & Beauty with a Permanent Crown
At Smile by Design, we don’t just repair damaged teeth, we design custom dental crowns that restore strength, protect your smile, and enhance natural beauty. Offering both composite and porcelain crowns, we ensure every restoration blends seamlessly with your teeth while delivering lasting function. Recognised as Sydney’s most trusted cosmetic dental practice, our Bondi Junction and North Sydney clinics are led by Dr Michael Tam, one of Australia’s most respected cosmetic and implant dentists.
What are dental crowns?
Dental crowns are tooth-shaped, custom-made caps designed to encase your damaged or weakened tooth. These dental crowns offer overall protection to the damaged tooth, help restore its functionality, and improve its appearance.
Once your dentist fits a crown on your damaged teeth, it covers the entire visible portion of your tooth above the gum line, providing a strong and durable shield from any bacterial attacks.
Based on a survey conducted by the members of the Australian Dental Association, approximately 50% of the population in Australia chooses dental crowns to restore broken or damaged teeth. So, you are not alone if you want dental crowns on your front teeth!
Dental crowns can be the best way to correct a cracked tooth, severe decay, or a misshapen tooth.
Why do you need a dental crown?
Who does not love a natural-looking, beautiful smile? The best part about dental crowns is that they can help resolve your cosmetic and functional requirements. Here are some of the most common reasons you may opt for a dental crown:
- Repairing cracked or chipped teeth: Dental crowns can protect and reinforce a tooth with structural damage, preventing further deterioration.
- Restoring decayed teeth: When a tooth undergoes extensive decay or cavities, a crown can help strengthen the tooth after a decayed portion is removed.
- Covering any large filling: Often, some large fillings weaken the remaining tooth structure. In that case, getting a dental crown can provide added support and longevity to the tooth.
- Improving tooth appearance: Dental crowns can even enhance the appearance of discoloured or misaligned teeth, creating a uniform and attractive smile you have long desired.
- Supporting dental bridges: Dental crowns are used as a support to anchor any dental bridges, covering up the gap created by a missing tooth.
What are the types of dental crowns?
Finding suitable dental crowns can be daunting as the market has several variations. Each of these materials comes with unique advantages and considerations. Only an experienced dentist can guide you in the best possible way. Here are the various dental crowns that you might find in the market:
- Stainless steel
Stainless steel dental crowns are prefabricated crowns used temporarily on children’s primary teeth. These stainless steel crowns protect the entire tooth from further decay. When the primary tooth comes out to give space to the permanent tooth, these crowns come out naturally. Stainless dental crowns are durable and cost-effective options that protect the primary teeth until they naturally fall out.
- Metals
Metallic crowns are robust, long-lasting, and made from gold, platinum, or base metal alloys. The only drawback to these crowns is their metallic appearance, making them less suitable for visible teeth.
- Porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM)
These types of crowns come with a combination of metal strength and porcelain appearance, making them an excellent choice for your visible teeth, such as the front ones.
- All-resin crowns
A resin dental crown is one of the most affordable yet temporary dental crown options that you may use. However, resin crowns are easily prone to wear and tear, making them less durable than the others.
- All-ceramic/porcelain
Ceramic crowns are superior dental options with the most natural appearance. It is an aesthetic and metal-free option that you can get in your front or back teeth. Getting a dental crown on the front teeth is ideal and an excellent substitute if you have metal allergies.
- Temporary crowns & Permanent crowns
Temporary crowns are usually made in the dental office. They serve as placeholders for a brief duration of treatment, while the permanent crown is fabricated in a dental lab. Once ready, the permanent crown is cemented in place during the treatment.
Steps of the dental crown procedure
Generally, you need two sessions with your dentist to get a dental crown. However, the number of sessions may broadly vary from person to person, and your dentist can modify the sessions based on your requirements or availability. So here’s what you might expect in your first and last appointment.
First Consultation
- Analysis: Our dentist will examine the damaged tooth during your first visit and take X-rays to assess the extent of the problem. Your dentist might ask you several questions and will keep you fully informed about the following consecutive steps.
- Impression: After thoroughly examining your oral condition, your dentist will take an impression of the damaged tooth and the surrounding teeth to ensure a precise fit for the crown. The impression is then sent to the dental lab, where the permanent crown will be fabricated.
Second Consultation
- Crown fitting: During the second visit, your dentist will check if the permanent crown perfectly fits in the place and if its colour matches the surrounding teeth. Finally, the crown is cemented onto your pre-prepped tooth with all the necessary adjustments.
- Bonding: Lastly, your dentist uses dental cement to secure the crown, ensuring a strong and long-lasting bond.
Benefits of dental crowns
Dental crowns come with multiple benefits, and here are some of them:
- Enhanced aesthetics: Dental crown treatment can significantly improve the appearance of discoloured, misshapen, or damaged teeth, thus enhancing confidence.
- Strengthened teeth: By covering and protecting weak or damaged teeth, crowns provide added strength, reducing the risk of further damage.
- Improved functionality: Crowns not only improve the overall appearance of teeth but also help restore the functionality of damaged teeth, allowing you to chew and speak without discomfort.
- Long-lasting solution: With proper care, dental crowns can last for many years, providing a durable and reliable dental restoration that won’t dent your pocket.
Why Delaying Treatment Can Be Risky
Cracked or decayed teeth can worsen quickly. Without protection, a damaged tooth may require root canal therapy or even extraction. A dental crown restores strength, preventing further complications and preserving your natural teeth for years to come.
FAQs
A temporary crown is placed on a prepared tooth while your new crown is being fabricated in a dental laboratory. The permanent crown is fitted and cemented at your second visit for a permanent solution.
Crowns alone cannot replace missing teeth, but they are often attached to a dental implant or used to support a dental bridge. In this way, crowns help restore function and appearance where one or more teeth are missing.
Yes. Ceramic crowns, zirconia crowns, and all-porcelain crowns are ideal for front teeth due to their natural enamel-like appearance. Composite or PFM crowns are often recommended for back teeth where durability is most important.
With good oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups, crowns can last 10–15 years or longer. Zirconia crowns and porcelain crowns are especially durable when cared for properly.
If you experience a loose crown, cracked crown, or broken crown, visit your dentist’s office as soon as possible. A dental technician can fabricate a new crown or adjust your existing one to ensure the crown fits properly.
Metal crowns, including gold crowns, are highly durable but less commonly used today for visible teeth due to appearance concerns. Patients with metal allergies may prefer ceramic crowns or zirconia crowns.