A crown rebuilds a tooth that a filling can no longer hold together. Chosen tooth by tooth, designed digitally and made in the laboratory in the same building as your dentist.
The first visit is an examination with X-rays and a written plan. No tooth is prepared until you have agreed to it.
A dental crown is a ceramic cap that covers the whole visible part of a tooth, holding it together and restoring its shape and bite. It is usually needed when a tooth is cracked, heavily filled, badly worn or root-canal treated, or to top an implant. At Creative Arts, crowns in zirconia or E-max are designed digitally and made in our own laboratory.
A crown is not the default answer for a damaged tooth. The rule is to remove as little healthy tooth as the problem allows.
| What it covers | Usually chosen when | Healthy tooth removed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filling | Fills a cavity inside the tooth | Decay or damage is small and the walls of the tooth are strong | Least |
| Crown | Covers the whole tooth above the gum | The tooth is cracked, mostly filling, root-canal treated or badly worn | Most, but it protects what is left |
| Veneer | The front surface only | A structurally sound front tooth needs a change of shape or colour | Minimal to conservative |
The choice is made tooth by tooth after an examination and X-rays. For a front tooth that could take either, see veneers vs crowns.
All four are metal-free ceramics made in our laboratory. The position of the tooth, the forces it takes and how visible it is decide between them — often differently for different teeth in the same mouth.
One solid piece, no veneering layer
Zirconia core with hand-layered ceramic over it
Glass-ceramic, milled then characterised
Traditional porcelain built up by the technician
Crowns for Creative Arts patients are designed and made at Creative Art Dental Lab, in the same building as the clinic. The laboratory is part of Creative Art Group, led by CEO Basem Tobaji, a dental technician with about 30 years in the dental field.
Most single crowns take two main visits a few working days apart. A crown that follows root canal treatment or sits on an implant follows the same stages once the tooth or implant is ready.
The tooth, its root and the gum around it are checked. If a smaller repair would do, you are told so here.
Visit 1Material, number of visits, cost and alternatives are set out in writing before anything is prepared.
Before treatmentUnder local anaesthetic the tooth is shaped for the crown, then recorded with an intraoral scan instead of impression trays.
Visit 2A temporary crown protects the prepared tooth and holds the space. Avoid sticky food on that side and floss by sliding the floss out sideways.
Same visitThe crown is designed digitally, milled from ceramic and hand-finished in our laboratory, typically within three to five working days.
In our labFit, contact with the neighbouring teeth, shade and bite are checked before the crown is cemented or bonded. A review follows.
Visit 3
Our crowns are not sent out to a supplier. The laboratory is a separate business in the same building, so the technician can see the neighbouring teeth in person, under the same light as your dentist. That matters most for a single front crown, where the new tooth has to sit beside natural ones without standing out. If a contact or the bite needs a small adjustment at try-in, it is done in-house rather than shipped back.
After a root canal. A root-filled back tooth has lost its nerve and usually a lot of its internal structure, so it is more likely to crack under chewing forces. A crown is normally advised soon after treatment. Front teeth with little missing structure do not always need one. Where very little tooth remains, a core build-up — occasionally with a post — gives the crown something to hold on to. See our root canal treatment guide.
On an implant. An implant crown is fixed to an abutment rather than to a tooth, either cemented or held with a small screw that allows it to be removed later for maintenance. Because an implant has no ligament to cushion it, the bite on the crown is checked carefully. The crown is usually fitted once the implant has integrated with the bone, typically after about three to six months.
With good care, crowns commonly last 10 to 15 years and many last longer. When they fail, the cause is usually around the crown rather than the ceramic itself.
The tooth under a crown can still decay where crown meets tooth. Floss or use interdental brushes there every day.
Night-time grinding can chip ceramic or loosen a crown. A night guard is far cheaper than a replacement.
If the gum shrinks back, a margin can show. Gum health is checked at every recall, and professional cleaning helps.
Ice, bones, pen chewing and opening packets with your teeth cause most sudden chips.
Crown prices in Dubai vary widely because quotes include different things. We give a written, itemised figure for your tooth after the examination — the dental crown cost guide explains each variable.
Crowns are planned by the dentist who will fit them. Dr. Marina Antoniuk's restorative and microscope work often covers teeth that need a crown after root canal treatment.
The tooth is prepared under local anaesthetic, so you should feel pressure rather than pain. Afterwards the tooth and gum can be tender for a few days, which is usually managed with over-the-counter pain relief. Some sensitivity to cold with a temporary crown is common and settles once the final crown is fitted.
Usually two main visits: one to prepare and scan the tooth and fit a temporary, and one to fit the final crown. At Creative Arts the laboratory typically completes a crown within three to five working days. Root canal treatment, gum treatment or an implant that is still healing will add time before the crown stage.
There is no single best. Monolithic zirconia is the strongest and suits molars and heavy biters. E-max is more translucent and suits front teeth and premolars. Layered zirconia combines a strong core with hand-built ceramic for visible teeth that need extra strength. Your dentist chooses per tooth.
Back teeth usually do, because a root-filled molar or premolar is prone to cracking under chewing forces. Front teeth with little missing structure can often be restored with a bonded filling instead. The decision depends on how much sound tooth remains after treatment.
It can, usually because of decay under the edge, a very short tooth, or a sticky food pulling on it. Keep the crown, avoid chewing on that side and contact the clinic during opening hours. If the tooth underneath is sound, the crown can often be cleaned and re-cemented.
No. Ceramic does not respond to whitening gel. If you would like your natural teeth lighter, whitening is done before the crown shade is chosen, so the new crown is matched to the whitened colour.
Yes. "Cap" is the everyday word for a crown: a restoration that covers the whole visible part of the tooth. It is different from a veneer, which covers only the front surface of a front tooth.
After the tooth is prepared and scanned, a temporary crown protects it while our laboratory makes the final one. Avoid sticky and very hard food on that side, and clean around it gently. If the temporary comes loose, keep it and contact the clinic during opening hours so it can be re-cemented; an unprotected prepared tooth can become sensitive or shift.
Tell us what you would like to change. The clinic replies within working hours with an appointment time.
Or call us +971 4 342 4444Or message us on WhatsApp
A consultation ends with a diagnosis and a written, itemised plan — not a sales pitch. Book online, message us on WhatsApp, or call the clinic.
