Dental Crowns & Bridges in Braintree
A crown covers the whole tooth and rebuilds it. A bridge replaces a missing tooth using the teeth either side. These are the treatments for teeth too broken, too heavily filled or too far gone for a veneer.
What crowns and bridges do
A crown covers the entire tooth rather than just its front face. The tooth is shaped down, a laboratory builds a ceramic cap to fit it, and that cap is cemented on. It rebuilds shape, strength and appearance in one, which is why it works where a filling would keep breaking.
A bridge uses the same idea to fill a gap. The teeth either side of a missing tooth are crowned, and a false tooth is joined between them as a single fixed unit. Nothing is removable and nothing clips in.
Material matters more than most people are told. e.max lets light through like enamel, which is what a front tooth needs. Zirconia is stronger but more opaque, so it belongs further back or on someone who grinds. Choosing the wrong one is how a technically fine crown ends up looking obviously false.
When a crown is the right answer
Crowns are restorative first and cosmetic second. If a tooth is structurally sound, something less invasive is usually better.
Broken or cracked teeth
Where a filling would not hold, a crown wraps the whole tooth and holds it together. This is the commonest genuine reason to crown a tooth.
After root canal treatment
A root-treated tooth is brittle and splits under normal chewing forces. Crowning it is what stops that, and it is why the two treatments are usually planned together.
Failing old restorations
Large old fillings with stained, leaking margins. Case Y008 below is exactly this: dark margins on failing upper front restorations, replaced and matched.
How much does a dental crown cost in the UK?
Crowns are priced per tooth by material. The fee covers preparation, the laboratory work, the temporary crown and the fit appointment. Where a tooth needs rebuilding first, the post and core is listed separately so nothing appears unexpectedly.
| Treatment | Price from | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Crowns and bridges | £700 per unit | Per unit, so a three-unit bridge is three times the figure above. Covers e.max and zirconia alike. |
A crown is available on the NHS as a Band 3 treatment, currently around £330, where there is clinical need. That is genuinely cheaper. What you give up is the choice of ceramic and technician, which matters most on a front tooth and least on a molar. I will tell you which situation you are in.
Treatment can be spread over 6 to 12 months at 0% interest, subject to an affordability check. The total is the same as paying up front.
Get a written quoteWhat happens
What treatment involves
Two appointments about three weeks apart, with a temporary crown in between while the laboratory builds the final one.
Step 1
Consultation
Whether the tooth needs a crown at all, or whether a large filling or an onlay would do. Written fixed-fee quote, including anything the tooth needs first.
Step 2
Assessment and any groundwork
An X-ray to check the root and the bone. If the tooth needs root treatment or a post and core, that happens before the crown, not alongside it.
Step 3
Preparation and temporary
The tooth is shaped under local anaesthetic, then scanned or impressed. Shade and photographs go to the laboratory. You leave with a temporary crown fitted.
Step 4
Laboratory stage, about 3 weeks
A technician builds the crown in e.max or zirconia. For a front tooth this includes layering to match the translucency of the neighbouring teeth.
Step 5
Fit appointment
Tried in, checked for shade, margin and bite, then cemented. Adjustment until it feels like your own tooth when you bite together. If the shade is wrong it goes back.
How long crowns and bridges last
Ten to twenty years
Longer than any other treatment on this site. Modern ceramics rarely fail on their own. What ends a crown's life is nearly always the tooth or the gum around it.
The margin is the weak point
Decay starting at the join between crown and tooth is the usual failure. It is also invisible to you and easy to spot at a check-up, which is the argument for going regularly.
Bridges depend on their supports
A three-unit bridge relies on the two crowned teeth either side. If one of those fails, the whole bridge comes off. That shared risk is the main argument for an implant instead.
Crown, veneer, or a bridge for a missing tooth
The first decision is how much tooth is left. The second, if there is no tooth at all, is bridge against implant.
| Crown This page | Veneer Front surface only | Bridge For a missing tooth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it treats | A tooth that is broken or heavily filled | A sound tooth you want to look different | A gap where a tooth is missing |
| Tooth removed | Significant, all round | A thin layer of enamel | Both neighbours are crowned |
| Appointments | Two | Two | Two |
| Typical lifespan | 10 to 20 years | 10 to 15 years | 10 to 15 years |
| Suitable after root canal | Yes, usually required | No | Yes, as a support |
| Available on the NHS | Yes, on clinical need | No, cosmetic only | Yes, on clinical need |
| Relative cost | High | High | Highest of the three |
For a single missing tooth an implant is often the better long-term answer, because it leaves the neighbouring teeth untouched. I place crowns and bridges and refer for implants where that is the right call.
My own patients, before and after
Taken with consent and unretouched. These are clinical photographs, taken retracted, so you can see exactly what changed.
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Failing old restorations replaced · 2 months
Month 0 · before 
Month 2 · after Replacement of failing upper anterior restorations
Treated by Dr Akhalwaya · case Y008
TODO · Confirm treatment label for Y008 · §9.3
TODO · Patient quote · §10.6
Clinical photographs are taken retracted, under practice lighting, so the teeth are shown exactly as they are. Individual results depend on your starting position and are discussed at consultation. No result is guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a dental crown cost in the UK?
Private crowns in the UK generally run between £600 and £1,200 per tooth in 2026, depending on the material and whether the tooth needs rebuilding first. An NHS crown is a fixed Band 3 charge of around £330. My own fees are in the table above.
What is the difference between a private and an NHS crown?
The NHS charge is lower, and the material choice is restricted to what is clinically adequate rather than what looks best. Privately I choose the ceramic, the laboratory and the technician. On a back tooth the difference is small. On a front tooth it is very visible.
What is an e.max crown?
e.max is a lithium disilicate ceramic. It is strong enough for everyday function and, importantly, it lets light through in a way that resembles natural enamel. That makes it the usual choice for front teeth. Zirconia is stronger but more opaque, so it suits back teeth.
Crown or veneer, which do I need?
It depends how much sound tooth is left. A veneer covers the front face only and needs healthy tooth behind it. A crown covers the whole tooth and is what you need if it is broken, heavily filled, or has been root treated. That decision is clinical, not cosmetic.
How long do crowns last?
Ten to twenty years is a fair range, and many last longer. What fails first is usually the tooth underneath rather than the crown itself, through decay at the margin. Good hygiene and regular check-ups extend crown life more than any material choice does.
Does having a crown hurt?
The appointment is done under local anaesthetic so you should feel pressure but not pain. Some sensitivity for a few days afterwards is normal while the tooth settles. A tooth that was already painful beforehand may need root treatment before it can be crowned.
What are the options for a missing tooth?
A bridge, an implant, or a denture. A bridge is fixed and quicker but involves crowning the two neighbouring teeth. An implant leaves neighbours untouched but costs more and takes months. I place bridges and refer for implants where that is the better answer.
Will the crown match my other teeth?
That is the point of taking photographs and shade records for the laboratory. A single front crown is the hardest match in dentistry because it has to copy the translucency and surface texture of the tooth beside it. If the first one does not match, it goes back.
Still have a question?
Ask it at your consultation, or ring the practice and ask for Dr Akhalwaya.
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No pressure and no obligation - a look, an honest opinion on what would actually help, and a written fixed-fee quote before anything is booked.