Broken Tooth or Lost Crown?
A fractured tooth or a crown that has come off is assessed promptly. Keep the crown if you have it, and call the practice; appointments are arranged according to urgency and availability.
What Is the Difference Between a Crown and a Bridge?
A crown is a custom-made cap that covers the whole visible part of a tooth. It is used when a tooth has lost too much structure to hold another filling, has cracked, or has had root canal treatment, and it restores the tooth’s shape, strength and appearance.
A bridge replaces one or more missing teeth. It is a row of joined crowns: the crowns at each end are fixed to the natural teeth beside the gap, and the crown in the middle sits over the gap as the replacement tooth. Bridges can also be supported by dental implants where the neighbouring teeth are not suitable.
Both are permanent restorations, cemented in place and cleaned like natural teeth, and both are made to order for your mouth by a dental laboratory.
When Is a Dental Crown Needed?
A crown is recommended when the remaining natural tooth is too weak or too damaged to be restored any other way. The common situations are below; your dentist confirms which applies after an examination and X-ray.
Large or repeated fillings
Each time a filling is replaced it gets bigger, leaving thin walls of tooth that can crack under chewing. A crown holds what is left together.
Cracked or broken teeth
A crack from grinding, an accident or biting something hard can spread. A crown covers the tooth and stops the crack opening further.
After root canal treatment
A root-treated back tooth is brittle and usually crowned to stop it fracturing. See the root canal treatment page for the sequence.
Worn or discoloured teeth
Teeth shortened by clenching, grinding or acid erosion, or a single dark tooth, can be rebuilt to their original shape and shade.
A bridge is considered when a tooth is missing and the teeth on either side are sound, or when an implant is not suitable. Leaving a gap allows neighbouring teeth to drift and the opposing tooth to over-erupt, which is why replacement is usually advised.
What Happens When You Get a Crown or Bridge?
Treatment takes two visits, usually one to two weeks apart. The steps are the same for a crown and a bridge; a bridge simply involves preparing two or more teeth instead of one.
1. Assessment
Examination and X-ray to confirm the tooth can support a crown, check the nerve is healthy, and decide whether a root canal or core build-up is needed first. You receive an itemised estimate before anything begins.
2. Preparation
Under local anaesthetic, the tooth is shaped to make room for the crown. A digital impression is taken, the shade is matched to your neighbouring teeth, and a temporary crown is placed to protect the tooth.
3. Laboratory
Your crown or bridge is made by an Australian dental laboratory from the digital impression, in porcelain, zirconia or porcelain fused to a metal core depending on the tooth.
4. Fitting
The temporary is removed, the new crown is tried in and adjusted for fit, bite and colour, then cemented permanently. You can eat on it normally once the cement has set.
Bridge, Implant or Denture: Which Replaces a Missing Tooth?
Three options fill a gap. Which is right depends on the health of the neighbouring teeth, the bone under the gap, your general health, and budget.
Bridge
- Fixed, no surgery, two visits
- Neighbouring teeth are shaped to carry it
- Cleaned with floss threaders under the false tooth
Dental implant
- Stands alone; neighbouring teeth untouched
- Surgical placement, then a healing period of several months
- Preserves the bone under the gap
Denture
- Removable, lowest initial cost
- Suits multiple missing teeth
- Less stable for chewing than a fixed option
What Are Crowns and Bridges Made Of?
- Porcelain and ceramic for front teeth, where matching the translucency of natural enamel matters most.
- Zirconia, a metal-free ceramic used for back teeth and bridges because of its strength under chewing forces. See metal-free zirconia crowns.
- Porcelain fused to metal where a metal core is needed for a long bridge span.
All crowns and bridges at Sandgate Bayside Dental are made by an Australian dental laboratory from a digital impression. Your dentist recommends the material based on the tooth’s position, the space available and how hard you bite.
How Much Do Crowns and Bridges Cost in Brisbane?
The fee depends on the material, the number of teeth involved, and whether a root canal or core build-up is needed first. A bridge is priced per unit, so a three-unit bridge replacing one tooth costs roughly three times a single crown.
You receive an itemised estimate before treatment begins. Sandgate Bayside Dental claims on the spot through HICAPS and is a participating practice in the nib First Choice Network, HCF Members’ Choice, TUH Preferred Provider, HIF Choice Network and Westfund programs. Members of other funds can still claim their extras rebate here.
Payment plans are available through Afterpay, Zip, Humm and DentiCare, from $50 a week. See interest free payment plans and let reception know before your appointment if you would like to use one.
How Do You Look After a Crown or Bridge?
A crown protects the tooth above the gum, but the tooth underneath can still decay at the margin and the gum around it can still develop disease. Care is the same as for natural teeth, with two additions.
With a temporary crown
- Chew on the other side where possible
- Avoid sticky or very hard foods
- Floss by pulling the floss out sideways rather than up, so the temporary is not dislodged
- If it comes off, keep it and call the practice
With the permanent crown or bridge
- Brush twice a day, paying attention to the gum line around the crown
- Clean between teeth daily; use floss threaders or interdental brushes under a bridge
- Attend routine check-ups so the margins are checked
If you grind or clench
- A nightguard protects the crown and the teeth around it
- Worn or chipped porcelain is usually a sign of grinding
- Mention it at your assessment so the material can be chosen accordingly
Crowns and Bridges Near Sandgate and North Brisbane
Sandgate Bayside Dental is at 74 Loudon Street, Sandgate QLD 4017, near Sandgate train station with free parking nearby. Digital impressions are taken in the practice and restorations are made by an Australian laboratory, so both visits are local.
Patients attend from Shorncliffe, Brighton, Deagon, Bracken Ridge, Bald Hills, Boondall, Taigum, Clontarf and Redcliffe. Read about the dentists on the Meet Our Team page.
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Crowns and Bridges: Frequently Asked Questions
Does getting a dental crown hurt?
The tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic before it is shaped, so the preparation itself is not felt. Some sensitivity to hot and cold is common while the temporary crown is in place and usually settles once the permanent crown is fitted. Most patients describe the two appointments as similar to having a filling done.
How long does a dental crown last?
Crowns commonly remain in service for many years. How long depends on the material, the position in the mouth, whether you grind your teeth, and how well the tooth and gum around the crown are cleaned. Crowns are checked at each routine examination and are replaced when wear, decay at the margin or gum changes make it necessary.
How many visits does a crown or bridge take?
Usually two. At the first visit the tooth is shaped, a digital impression is taken and a temporary crown is placed. The permanent crown or bridge is made by an Australian dental laboratory and fitted at the second visit, typically one to two weeks later. Some cases need an extra appointment for a root canal or core build-up first.
Is a crown better than a large filling?
When most of the natural tooth has already been lost to decay or old fillings, a crown covers and protects the whole tooth, while a filling only replaces the missing part. Large fillings leave thin walls of tooth that can crack under chewing forces. Your dentist will recommend a crown when the remaining tooth structure is too weak to support another filling.
Do I need a crown after root canal treatment?
In most cases, yes, particularly for molars and premolars. A root-treated tooth is more brittle and has usually lost structure to the original decay and the access opening, so a crown protects it from fracturing. Front teeth with little structure lost can sometimes be restored with a filling alone.
Should I choose a bridge or a dental implant to replace a missing tooth?
A bridge is fixed to the teeth on either side of the gap and is completed in two visits without surgery, but those teeth must be shaped to carry it. An implant replaces the tooth with its own root and leaves neighbouring teeth untouched, but involves a surgical procedure and a longer healing period. Your dentist will discuss which suits your teeth, health and budget.
Can I eat normally with a crown or bridge?
Yes. Once the permanent crown or bridge is fitted, you can chew as you would with a natural tooth. With a temporary crown in place, avoid very sticky or hard foods and chew on the other side where possible, because temporaries are held with a weak cement designed to be removed at the next visit.
How do I look after a crown or bridge?
Brush twice a day and clean between the teeth once a day; a bridge needs floss threaders or interdental brushes to clean under the false tooth. Attend routine examinations so the margins can be checked. If you grind or clench, a nightguard protects both the crown and the natural teeth around it.
What affects the cost of a crown or bridge?
The main factors are the material, the number of teeth involved, and whether a root canal treatment or core build-up is needed first. Sandgate Bayside Dental provides an itemised estimate before treatment begins, claims on the spot through HICAPS, and offers payment plans through Afterpay, Zip, Humm and DentiCare from $50 a week.
Where can I get a dental crown near Sandgate?
Sandgate Bayside Dental provides crowns and bridges at 74 Loudon Street, Sandgate QLD 4017, near Sandgate train station with free parking nearby. Patients attend from Shorncliffe, Brighton, Deagon, Bracken Ridge, Bald Hills, Boondall, Taigum, Clontarf and Redcliffe. Appointments can be booked online or by phone on 07 3269 2443.
Book a Crown or Bridge Assessment in Sandgate
An examination and X-ray will confirm whether a crown, bridge or another option suits the tooth, with an itemised estimate before anything begins.
About Us
For over 30 years, our practice has been caring for people from Sandgate, Shorncliffe, Brighton, Deagon, Bracken Ridge, Bald Hills, Boondall, Taigum, Fitzgibbon, Woody Point, Clontarf, Margate and Redcliffe and other surrounding areas.
Our main priority is to provide affordable, gentle and quality dental care to the Sandgate and surrounding communities.
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