A crown becomes necessary when a tooth is too badly destroyed to be stably restored with a normal filling. Typical reasons are extensive decay, a broken-off piece, a large old filling or a root-treated, brittle tooth. The crown caps the tooth like a helmet and protects it from further fracture.
Crowns come in various materials: all-ceramic is tooth-coloured and aesthetically ideal for visible teeth, metal-ceramic is very robust, and gold is especially durable but visible. For front teeth all-ceramic is usually chosen, while heavily loaded molars often get a particularly strong ceramic.
The procedure: the tooth is ground down, then an impression is taken or digitally scanned. Until the definitive crown is made in the lab, you wear a temporary crown; at the fitting in a second session the finished crown is tried in and cemented. Some practices make the crown with CEREC technology on the same day.
With good care a crown often lasts ten to fifteen years or longer. It is cared for like a natural tooth – brushing, flossing and regular check-ups are important, not least because decay can form again at the crown margin.
As a guide (no guarantee), a ceramic crown in Switzerland costs roughly CHF 1200 to 2000 depending on material, lab and region. Basic insurance usually does not cover crowns.