Best Dental Clinic For Dental Crowns
At W12 Dental & Implant Centre in Shepherd's Bush, we place precision-crafted crowns using the finest ceramic and zirconia materials, matched perfectly to the colour and contour of your surrounding teeth. Whether your crown is needed urgently after trauma, to complete a root canal, or to replace an ageing metal restoration you have always hated the look of, our team delivers results that are both clinically excellent and genuinely beautiful.
About Dental Crown
What Exactly Is a Dental Crown?
A dental crown — sometimes called a tooth cap — is a custom-made restoration that fits precisely over an entire damaged, decayed, or weakened tooth, from the gum line upward. Unlike a filling, which fills a cavity within the tooth, or a veneer, which covers only the front-facing surface, a crown encases the full visible structure of the tooth on all sides. This makes it far more protective and durable than any other single-tooth restoration.
Each crown is fabricated individually — shaped, shaded, and sized to integrate seamlessly with the rest of your dentition. It is bonded permanently to the prepared tooth using dental cement, restoring the tooth’s original size, shape, strength, and appearance in one definitive treatment.
When Dental Crown
When Is a Dental Crown Necessary?
Crowns are recommended in a wider range of clinical situations than many patients realise. The decision to crown a tooth is based on how much healthy tooth structure remains, the functional demands placed on the tooth, and the long-term risk of fracture or further damage without protection. Common reasons our patients at W12 Dental receive crowns include:
- After root canal treatment
- Cracked or fractured tooth
- Heavily decayed tooth
- Large or failed fillings
- Anchoring a dental bridge
- Severely discoloured teeth
Why We Recommend Full Ceramic Over PFM
Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns were the workhorse of restorative dentistry for decades, and they remain clinically functional. However, they carry a significant aesthetic drawback: the metal substructure can create a dark or greyish line at the gum margin — particularly as gums recede slightly with age. This becomes increasingly noticeable on front teeth and is a common reason patients seek crown replacement.
Modern full-ceramic crowns eliminate this problem entirely. Zirconia and E.max crowns have no metal component whatsoever — they are biocompatible, gentle on gum tissue, and deliver an aesthetic result that simply cannot be distinguished from a natural tooth.
Take The Next Step
Crown Materials Available at W12 Dental & Implant Centre
We use only laboratory-fabricated, clinically proven crown materials. Here is a comparison of everything currently available at our Shepherd’s Bush practice:
Material | Appearance | Strength | Best For | Lifespan |
E.max (Lithium Disilicate) | Excellent — high translucency, natural enamel-like appearance | Very good — suitable for all but heaviest biting forces | Front teeth, implant crowns, aesthetics-first cases | 10–15+ years |
Zirconia | Very good — highly customisable shade, no metal margin | Outstanding — hardest dental ceramic available | Back teeth, bruxism patients, implant crowns | 15–20+ years |
PFM (Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal) | Good — but dark metal margin may show at gum line over time | Strong — metal substructure is robust | Legacy cases; less frequently used with modern alternatives available | 10–15 years |
Full Gold / Metal | Poor aesthetics — gold/silver colour only | Excellent — very kind to opposing teeth | Rarely placed; occasionally preferred for specific back-tooth cases by patient choice | 20+ years |
Ready to Transform Your Smile?
Book your free consultation today and take the first step towards your dream smile.
Our expert team is ready to create a personalized treatment plan just for you.
Most Frequently Asked Questions
The tooth preparation procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic, so you will not feel any pain during the appointment. You may feel pressure and vibration, but no sharp discomfort. After the anaesthetic wears off, some mild sensitivity or achiness around the prepared tooth is normal and usually resolves within a day or two. Over-the-counter pain relief manages this comfortably. The fitting of the permanent crown is typically a straightforward, pain-free appointment.
A veneer covers only the front-facing surface of a tooth and requires minimal enamel removal — it is a cosmetic solution for front teeth that are essentially structurally sound. A crown covers the entire tooth on all surfaces and is designed for teeth that are structurally compromised — heavily decayed, cracked, weakened by a large filling, or following root canal treatment. If your dentist recommends a crown rather than a veneer, it is because the tooth genuinely needs the full protection a crown provides.
The crown itself is made of ceramic and cannot decay. However, the tooth structure underneath it can. Decay most commonly occurs at the margin between the crown edge and the natural tooth surface at the gum line, particularly if oral hygiene in that area is poor. This is why daily flossing and regular professional cleaning appointments are just as important — if not more so — after crown placement as before.