What are the steps of a dental crown procedure?
A dental crown procedure usually involves an examination and X-rays, then a visit where the tooth is numbed, shaped and scanned, its shade recorded and a temporary crown fitted. The crown is then made in a laboratory, typically over three to five working days. At a second visit the temporary comes off and the crown is tried in, adjusted and fixed. At Creative Arts in Dubai, the lab is in the same building.
Who treats you here Dr. Khalid Saeed Co-founder & Dentist · Dr. Kinan Bonni Dentist · Dr. Marina Antoniuk Dentist
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How many visits does a crown take?
A typical single crown on a tooth that is otherwise healthy. A crown after root canal treatment or on an implant follows the same stages once the tooth or implant is ready.
| Stage | What happens | How it usually feels |
|---|---|---|
| Examination | The tooth, root and gum are checked with X-rays; you receive a written plan with the material, visits, cost and alternatives | A normal check-up; nothing is drilled |
| Visit 1: preparation | Local anaesthetic, old filling or decay removed, tooth shaped, intraoral scan, shade recorded, temporary crown fitted | Pressure and vibration while numb; the longest visit |
| In the laboratory | The crown is designed on screen, milled from ceramic and finished by hand for shade and surface | You wear the temporary; mild sensitivity is common |
| Visit 2: fitting | Temporary removed, crown tried in, contacts, shade and bite checked, then cemented or bonded | Often little or no anaesthetic is needed; a snug feeling |
| Review | Bite and gum checked after you have chewed on the crown for a while | A short visit |
Laboratory time at Creative Art Dental Lab is typically three to five working days depending on complexity. It is never promised, and crowns are not made in a single visit.
What happens before the tooth is prepared?
A crown removes more tooth than a filling, so the first step is making sure a crown is really what the tooth needs. The dentist examines it, takes X-rays to check the root and the bone, and tests whether the nerve is healthy. A tooth with an inflamed or infected nerve needs root canal treatment first; a tooth with a small problem may only need a filling. Our comparison of a crown and a filling explains where that line usually falls.
If a crown is right, you receive a written plan: which material, how many visits, the cost and the alternatives. For a visible front tooth, the shape can be agreed in advance. If the tooth is broken below the gum, the gum level may need adjusting first so the crown edge sits on sound tooth. At Creative Arts, crowns are planned by Dr. Khalid Saeed, Dr. Kinan Bonni and Dr. Marina Antoniuk.
Preparation day: what happens to the tooth?
The tooth and the gum around it are numbed with local anaesthetic. Any old filling and all decay are removed. If a lot of the tooth is missing, it is rebuilt with a core build-up, so the crown has something solid to hold. A root-filled tooth with very little left sometimes needs a post inside the root to retain that core.
The tooth is then shaped: a thin, even layer is taken from the top and sides so the crown can fit over it without being bulky. How much depends on the material. Monolithic zirconia can be made thin; layered ceramics need a little more room. The edge of the preparation, the margin, is finished smoothly at or near the gum line, because that is where a crown either seals well or starts to leak.
Instead of impression trays, the prepared tooth, its neighbours and your bite are recorded with an intraoral scanner, a small camera that builds a 3D model on screen. The dentist checks the scan for a clear margin before you leave the chair.
How is the colour of a crown matched?
Shade is recorded at the preparation visit, before your teeth dry out and look lighter. The dentist compares shade tabs against the neighbouring teeth and takes photographs in standardised light. For a front tooth, small details matter as much as colour: translucency at the biting edge, white flecks, surface texture and how glossy the enamel is.
At Creative Arts the laboratory is in the same building. When a crown needs a careful match, the ceramist can see your teeth in person, under the same light as your dentist, rather than working from photographs alone. Our guide to custom shade matching explains the process, and how veneers and crowns are made follows the crown through the lab.
What is the temporary crown for?
Before you leave the preparation visit, a temporary crown is fitted with a weaker cement. It covers the prepared tooth so it is less sensitive, stops the neighbouring and opposing teeth drifting into the space, keeps the gum shaped and lets you smile normally.
It is not as strong or as accurate as the final crown. Avoid sticky and very hard food on that side, and when you floss, slide the floss out sideways instead of lifting it up. If it comes loose, keep it and call the clinic. Our guide to looking after a temporary crown covers eating, cleaning and what to do if it falls off.
Considering a crown? See how zirconia and E.max crowns are planned at Creative Arts in Dubai and made in the laboratory in our building, with a written plan before any tooth is prepared.
Dental crownsWhat happens in the lab between visits?
The scan is sent to Creative Art Dental Lab, a separate laboratory in the same building as the clinic. The crown is designed on screen around your bite and your neighbouring teeth, then milled from a block of ceramic: usually zirconia for back teeth and heavy biters, and E.max (lithium disilicate) or layered ceramic where appearance leads. It is then stained, glazed and, where the case calls for it, layered by hand to match the shade.
Typical lab time is three to five working days depending on complexity. A crown milled and fitted in a single visit is a different approach, made in the clinic; Creative Arts does not make crowns in a single visit. Our comparison of same-day and lab-made crowns explains the trade-offs.
Fitting day: how is the crown checked and fixed?
The temporary is removed and the tooth cleaned. Often little or no anaesthetic is needed, although it is available if the tooth is sensitive. The crown is then tried in before anything is fixed:
- Fit: the margin is checked for a smooth seal all the way round.
- Contacts: floss should click between the crown and its neighbours, firm enough to stop food packing in.
- Shade and shape: you see it in a mirror, in natural light where possible, before it is fixed.
- Bite: marking paper shows where the crown touches; high spots are smoothed and the surface re-polished.
Once you and the dentist are happy, the crown is cemented or bonded, depending on the material and the tooth. Excess cement is cleaned away and the bite is checked again. Small adjustments to shape or contacts can often be made the same day by the laboratory in the same building, without remaking the crown.
Does getting a crown hurt?
The preparation is done under local anaesthetic, so most people feel pressure, vibration and water spray rather than pain. The injection itself is the part many people notice; if needles worry you, say so, because there are ways to make it more comfortable. For very anxious patients, sedation can be discussed after a medical-history review.
Afterwards, the gum around the tooth can be sore for a day or two and the tooth may be sensitive to cold while the temporary is on. Over-the-counter pain relief, taken as directed on the label, usually manages it. After the final crown, mild sensitivity can last a few days. Pain when biting usually means the crown is slightly high and needs a quick adjustment. Our guide to pain after a new crown explains what is normal and when to come back.
Once settled, a crown should feel like part of your bite. How long it then lasts depends on the material, your bite and how well the edge is kept clean; see how long crowns last.