A dental crown covers and protects a tooth that’s too damaged for a filling alone, whether it’s cracked, heavily filled, worn down or recently treated with a root canal. At Diamond Dental in Beachwood, Dr. Barry Diamond takes a 3D iTero scan instead of messy impressions and has each crown made to fit your bite.
Call (216) 206-8075 or book a crown consultation online.
A crown is a custom-made cap that covers the whole visible part of a tooth, restoring its shape and strength. You might need one if:
A crown is also used to cover a dental implant, or as the anchor for a bridge.
If enough healthy tooth remains, a filling is the simpler and less expensive fix. A crown becomes the better choice when a filling would leave the tooth too weak to handle chewing forces, because the crown holds the tooth together.
“Wouldn’t it be cheaper to pull it?” At the visit itself, an extraction usually costs less. But a missing tooth rarely stays a one-time cost. The neighboring teeth can drift into the gap, and replacing the tooth later with an implant or bridge usually costs more than the crown would have. If a tooth can be saved, saving it is usually the better value. When it can’t, Dr. Diamond will say so and explain extraction and replacement options.
| Compare | Filling | Crown | Extraction |
|---|---|---|---|
| When it fits | Enough healthy tooth remains | A filling would leave the tooth too weak for chewing | The tooth cannot be saved |
| What it does | Repairs the damaged part of the tooth | Covers the tooth and holds it together | Removes the tooth |
| Cost at the visit | The simpler, less expensive fix | More than a filling | Usually the least at the visit itself |
| Longer term | Keeps the most natural tooth | Typically lasts 5 to 15 years, often longer with good care | Neighboring teeth can drift; replacing the tooth later usually costs more than a crown |
Porcelain and ceramic crowns match the color and translucency of natural teeth, which makes them the usual choice for front teeth. Zirconia is a very strong tooth-colored ceramic that suits back teeth, which take the most chewing force, while still looking natural.
Metal crowns (gold and other alloys) are extremely durable and need the least tooth removed, but they show, so they’re mostly used on back molars. Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns combine a metal base for strength with a tooth-colored porcelain surface.
Dr. Diamond will recommend a material based on where the tooth is, how hard you bite or grind, and how much it shows when you smile.
A crown typically takes two visits, about two to three weeks apart, while a dental lab makes your crown.
Between visits you wear a temporary crown. It protects the shaped tooth, but it is held with softer c
