Dental Crowns in Lanark: Protection for a Fragile Tooth

Q: How long do crowns usually last?

Most well-made crowns last 10 to 15 years, and many last longer. The crown is rarely the first thing to go. More often, decay starts at the edge of the tooth beneath it, the gum shrinks back, or the ceramic cracks under heavy grinding. To make it last, clean between your teeth daily, come to your dental examinations, and protect it with a night guard if you grind. If a crown begins to fail, the X-rays from your examination usually show it early.

Q: Crown or filling: how do I know which I need?

It depends on how much healthy tooth remains. A small cavity can be filled, but a tooth that is mostly filling already, or badly broken, usually needs a crown. In between sits an onlay (£750), which caps the biting surface but keeps more natural tooth than a crown would. Root-filled back teeth turn brittle, so they normally need a crown or onlay. You'll see the tooth on screen, on the scan and X-ray, as your dentist explains, and you can read the crowns, onlays and fillings guide for more.

Q: Does a root-filled tooth need a crown?

For back teeth, usually yes; for front teeth, often not. Without its nerve, a molar or premolar becomes more brittle, yet it still takes the full force of chewing, so covering it with a crown (from £675) or an onlay (£750) is the most reliable way to stop it splitting. A front tooth that hasn't been heavily filled can frequently be completed with a tooth-coloured filling. Where a back tooth has lost much of its structure, a fibre post (£160) may be placed to help hold the crown.

Q: How is a veneer different from a crown?

A veneer covers just the visible front face of a tooth, whereas a crown encases all of it, so more tooth has to be removed for a crown. Veneers, from £695 a tooth, are for healthy teeth whose shape or colour you'd like to change. A tooth that's cracked, heavily filled or root treated usually needs the extra strength of a crown, which is from £750 for a front tooth. When a veneer can do the job, we'll recommend it, as it preserves more of your natural tooth.

Ceramic crowns in Lanark start at £675 for back teeth and £750 for front teeth, fitted across two appointments spaced one to two weeks apart. ¹ The crown encases the whole visible tooth, binding together one that's cracked, root filled or mostly filling, so it can't break apart.

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On a dental plan, crowns cost £608 at the back and £675 at the front. ¹ We make NHS crowns as well. We're taking on new NHS patients, adults and children, as well as private patients.

Your dentistDr Batuhan Akça BDS (Istanbul Medipol)General dentistry with clear advice, treatment options explained and support in looking after your oral health. GDC 333665.Meet Dr Akça ›Your dentistDr Melanie Gray BDS with Commendation (Glasgow)Cosmetic and restorative dentistry, Invisalign and facial aesthetics, alongside everyday dental care for the whole family. GDC 113743.Meet Dr Gray ›

Two Appointments

In between, the laboratory makes your crown.

Making Sure a Crown Is Right

An examination and X-ray tell us whether the root and gum are sound enough to justify a crown. Where a smaller repair would work, that's what we'll recommend.

Preparing and Scanning

Once the tooth is numb, we reduce it slightly on every side. The iTero scanner then records it digitally in two or three minutes, so there's no impression material.

Temporary Cover

You leave that day with a temporary crown that protects the tooth and holds its space while the ceramic one is produced.

Fitting the Crown

We try it in, check its shade, fit and bite against the opposing teeth, then bond it in place. This second visit tends to be quicker.

When a Crown Helps

A back tooth that's been root treated and has become brittle as a result

A crack that makes biting sore, caught before it spreads further

An oversized filling that breaks repeatedly because the surrounding walls are thin

A tooth broken off close to the gum, usually restored on a fibre post first

Teeth worn short by grinding or acid erosion

A heavily discoloured or poorly shaped front tooth beyond the reach of whitening or bonding

More Conservative Options

Crowning removes healthy tooth structure, so we use something smaller whenever it will do the job.

Onlay

Ceramic coverage limited to the biting surface and weakened cusps; the healthy sides are kept. £750.

White Filling

Suitable for a medium-sized cavity with strong walls. From £118. White fillings

Composite Build-Up

A single-visit repair for a broken tooth, either permanent or temporary. £350.

Implant Crown

Where the tooth can't be kept, the crown can be placed on an implant. From £2,775 all in.

Read how we choose between crown, onlay and filling

Crown Materials

Almost every crown we place is ceramic. For appearance, the lab uses glass-ceramic; for molars under heavy biting load, zirconia. Both are coloured to blend with the neighbouring teeth.

Gold remains useful on back teeth for heavy grinders or short teeth: even a thin gold crown resists fracture and is kind to the teeth it bites against. Ask and we'll quote for gold.

NHS crowns on back teeth may be metal, or porcelain fused to metal. If you go private, all-ceramic is an option for every tooth.

Crown Lifespan

A crown can reasonably be expected to last 10 to 15 years, and plenty pass 20. Breakage of the ceramic is unusual; far more often, a crown fails because decay starts at its margin with the tooth, or because gum disease affects the root.

You should know the risks too. Preparing a live tooth occasionally irritates the nerve, and a few crowned teeth go on to need root canal treatment. Crowns can also work loose. Keep it somewhere safe and bring it with you; we can often fix it back on (£70).

Crown Fees

Before treatment, your written plan shows the total, including any post or core. Dental plan members save 10%. Prices reviewed October 2026. ¹

Back-tooth crown, ceramic	from £675
Front-tooth crown, ceramic	from £750
Onlay in ceramic	£750
Fibre post, where needed	£160
Composite core build-up	£350
Fixing a loose crown back on	£70
Crown in gold	quoted on request

See every fee

While the Temporary Is On

Eat on the opposite side and avoid gum and sticky sweets

Slide floss out to the side rather than lifting it up, so the temporary stays put

If it comes off, refit it with a little toothpaste or denture fixative and give us a call

In the Long Run

Brush where the crown meets the gum morning and night, and clean between teeth

Avoid using it to chew ice, bite pens or open bottles

Grinders should wear a night guard to stop the ceramic chipping

Regular examinations and hygiene appointments find decay at the margin early

Questions

How long, how much, and whether it's needed.

Where in Lanark can I have a crown fitted?–

At Lanark Smile Studios on 72 High Street. Our ceramic crowns start at £675 for molars and premolars and £750 for front teeth. ¹ We scan the tooth digitally with our iTero scanner rather than using putty impressions, and most people find that far more comfortable. Crowns usually need two visits: at the first, the tooth is shaped, scanned and given a temporary crown; at the second, the permanent crown is fitted. Dr Akça, Dr Flessas and Dr Gray all provide crowns.

How long do crowns usually last?+

Crown or filling: how do I know which I need?+

Does a root-filled tooth need a crown?+

How is a veneer different from a crown?+

Guides

Crowns or Fillings?

All general dentistry guides

General dentistry · 6 minute read

Teeth grinding: signs, damage and night guards

Chipped or Split a Tooth?

See us before the damage gets worse. At one visit you'll learn whether a filling, onlay or crown is needed, and what it will cost.

Book an examination What to do with a broken tooth

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