A dental crown is a custom-made cap for a tooth. They come in various materials and colours to match your unique bite and smile. If you are wondering how much is a dental crown, contact your dentist or insurance company for a quotation.
Learn about the dental crown process to understand the factors contributing to the dental crown cost. The price for a crown may vary based on the materials used, the crown customisation, and the dental procedure.
How Much is a Dental Crown: Contributing Factors
Your dental crown cost is primarily determined by three factors:
The customisation process, the types of crown material, and the procedure’s purpose. The average cost range is reported in a 2021 survey of Australian dental practices, but your dental practice and insurance determine the specific price you will pay for a procedure.
It may not be possible to estimate your specific crown cost perfectly, but you can learn what contributes to the total dental crown cost.
To get a general idea about how your dentist calculates the price of your dental crown, learn about these contributing factors.
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Dental crown customisation
Every dental crown is custom-made to fit over a tooth in a patient’s mouth. The customisation process is responsible for most of the cost of a dental crown because it cannot be mass-produced.
At No Gaps Dental, we use state-of-the-art technology to create customised crowns in as little as 15 minutes. CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics) is a computer-aided design/manufacturer (CAD/CAM) technology that uses detailed photographs and 3D modelling software to build custom dental crowns. CEREC provides single visit crown procedures and eliminates the laboratory fee.
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Crown material
Gold, metal alloys, ceramic, and porcelain are all crown materials. Dental crown cost is significantly affected by crown material. All-zirconia crowns are the least expensive option, but they have degradation issues over time and when exposed to low temperatures.
Metal alloy crowns and gold crowns are the most expensive options. They were once believed to be the strongest crowns available, but ceramic crowns are shown to be just as durable. Metal and gold dental crowns offer a unique style; however, ceramic crowns are the best option if you want a crown that blends in with your smile.
Ceramic is currently the most widely used crown material. It is strong, blends in with natural teeth, and does not cost as much as metal or gold crowns. At No Gaps Dental, we use ceramic to manufacture our CEREC same-day customised crowns onsite. We choose the colour of the ceramic block to best match your natural teeth.
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Dental procedure
Often the answer to how much is a dental crown is determined by the dental procedure that the crown is a part of. For instance, dental crowns are necessary for dental implants, costing more than using a crown to restore a discoloured tooth.
The overall cost increases if a crown is made as part of an expensive procedure like a dental bridge for a tooth replacement procedure.
Who Needs a Dental Crown?
Dental crowns are a treatment for many oral health issues. They are used for cosmetic reasons and structural support in the mouth. Your dentist may recommend a dental crown for many reasons, including:
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Protecting a weak tooth
Dental crowns protect vulnerable teeth from further tooth decay damage. Deep cavities, fillings, and root canals make a tooth more susceptible to fracture. A dental crown gives structural integrity to the tooth by adding a strong outer casing to the weakened tooth.
Crowns stop tooth decay by acting as a barrier between the weak tooth and the rest of the mouth. Dental crowns also decrease the likelihood of gingivitis and periodontitis, two issues associated with decaying teeth.
Usually, a weak tooth requires a filling, root canal, or other restorative dental procedure before a dental crown is fitted to the tooth. This increases the total dental crown cost.
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Restoring a stained tooth
Tooth discolouration is common because of diet, lifestyle habits, and aging. Teeth whitening procedures cannot treat intrinsic staining, which is most often caused by aging.
Dental crowns are the solution to intrinsic discolouration. Dentists customise a crown’s material to match your natural tooth colour. The result is a whitened smile that lasts for up to 15 years. This is an inexpensive dental crown procedure because no restorative work is necessary before the crown’s application.
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Covering a tooth with damaged cusps
A tooth’s cusp is the protrusion that tears food apart while chewing. When a cusp is damaged or removed, the tooth’s pulp may be exposed. A dental crown is necessary since a filling is not strong enough to replace a tooth cusp.
Dental crowns cap a tooth with a damaged cusp to protect the tooth’s pulp and other cusps. It evenly distributes bite pressure to the whole tooth so you can comfortably chew with the damaged tooth. As long as no extra restorative work is necessary, this dental crown application is relatively inexpensive.
Consult No Gaps Dental for Dental Crowns
Many interacting factors determine the price of a dental crown. While some of these are predictable, like the material of the crown and the customisation process, only your dentist will know the exact price based on your smile and oral health goals. If you believe you need a crown and know how much a dental crown is, consult your dentist at No Gaps Dental.
No Gaps Dental has 15 locations across New South Wales, and we are happy to provide you with exceptional restorative and cosmetic dentistry services. Contact us on (02) 8806 0227 to set up an appointment and visit our educational blog series to learn more about the dental procedures we offer.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks.
References
How much does the dentist cost?
https://www.choice.com.au/health-and-body/dentists-and-dental-care/dental-treatment/articles/dental-fees
An overview of the CEREC 3D CAD/CAM system
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15206254/
Dentist Material Selection for Single-Unit Crowns: Findings from The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5125852/
All-ceramic or metal-ceramic tooth-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs)? A systematic review of the survival and complication rates. Part I: Single crowns (SCs)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25842099/
Advances and current research in ceramic restorative materials
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8401822/
