Under NHS regulations at the current time (2006) dentists are now allowed to prescribe any type of crown. Metal based crowns on molar teeth are functionally satisfactory and don't suffer porcelain fracture problems, 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 for front teeth are also for molar teeth, but there may not be enough room at the back of the mouth to make these a good idea.

METAL ONLY CROWN £189

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 £189

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.