Under NHS regulations at the current time (2004) dentists are not allowed to prescribe any type of crown other than metal based crowns on molar teeth. These crowns are functionally satisfactory, but even at the back of the mouth their appearance can be noticeably non-tooth colour. Porcelain bonded to metal based crowns, such as those provided under the NHS for front teeth are currently only available independently for molar teeth.

METAL ONLY CROWN £80-90

The main advantages of metal only crowns when compared to porcelain bonded crowns are that:

• Often needs less drilling of the tooth to be crowned
• No likelihood of porcelain fracturing

PORCELAIN BONDED CROWN £160-180

The main advantages of porcelain bonded crowns when compared to metal only crowns are that:

• Appearance more like natural teeth
• Teeth can be built up more easily when they are very broken down

M.N.Preston B.D.S.
90A High Street
Canvey Island
Essex SS8 7SQ.
Tel 01268 683739
Click here to go to my homepage.

OTHER TYPES OF CROWN

There are other types of crown that are available privately such as full gold crowns (yellow gold), or high strength porcelains and ceramic crowns such as Captek crowns. These can have more desirable properties compared to the crowns described above, but can be considerably more expensive. Prices vary from £200-400 or even more.