Changing a single front tooth crown

Dental crowns are one of the best ways to protect badly damaged teeth. In most cases, crowns are needed on back teeth that may have needed a root canal treatment. For front teeth, the most common reason for the need of a crown is due to trauma . This could be from a childhood playground accident or a sports injury for example. Ouch!

If a front tooth crown was placed many years ago, over time there will have been changes in the mouth including the level of the gums and the shape and colour of the teeth. This often why there is a 'black' line around old crowns where the gum has receded and the underlying root becomes visible. Older crowns will have been made with a metal base, called a metal ceramic crown and the metal can also show as the tissues change.

Any experienced dental laboratory technician will tell you that replacing a single front tooth crown is one of the hardest cosmetic dental procedures. This is due to the fact that trying to mimic the complexities of adjacent teeth and replicate light reflection is a near impossible task. Although materials and technology has come on leaps and bounds over the years, we still cannot replace tooth enamel and dentine with a completely like for like material. However, the good news is that we can still provide amazing results even if we cannot guarantee a100% shade match.

We have developed a protocol for single front teeth crowns in collaboration with our local dental technicians, Ceramic Studios. Once the inital assessment and planning has been done, we carefully remove the crown and enhance the underlying tooth if needed. Digital scans are taken and a provisional crown placed. A visit to the lab is then arranged usually on the same day.

The next step will be to try the crown in an unfinished state called the 'bisque bake' stage. Once we are happy with the fitting, shape, size and occlusion ( bite) a return journey to the lab is arranged for the final customisation. This can take a while but this is where the magic happens as all of the character is now embedded within the crown.

Now, straight back to us for the final fitting of the crown and we have a new tooth!

If you have an old dental crown that needs replacing , please arrange a free video call and we will guide you through the process.