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A crown (or cap) covers a damaged tooth to give it strength and restore its natural contours. A crown is usually made with a metal substructure and covered with porcelain to look like a real tooth. The natural tooth must be prepared first by grinding is down to make room for the crown which is cemented on permanently. The procedure takes two appointments to complete and a temporary crown is worn between appointments.
Root Canal Treatment - A tooth that has had a root canal will need a crown to keep it from splitting apart. The only exception is a front tooth in very good condition, which may sometimes be restored with a filling.
Large Restoration - If the tooth has been previously restored with a large filling, the integrity of the tooth may be compromised. A large filling can leave weak cusps undermined and susceptible to fracture.
Fracture - If a cusp has fractured off, a crown can restore the missing tooth structure Sometimes, a filling is an acceptable restoration if the damage is minimal.
Crack - If a crack forms in a tooth, a crown can sometimes hold the tooth
together and keep the crack from spreading.
How Long Will It Take? 
The first appointment takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes. The tooth is first prepared by grinding it down to make room for the crown. A cord is placed around the tooth to push the gums out of the way and an impression is taken which the lab uses to make the crown. It takes two weeks to make the crown, so in the meantime, a temporary crown is worn. The second appointment is about 40 minutes and does not usually require anesthetic. Final adjustments are made to the crown and it is cemented on permanently.
A standard porcelain fused to metal crown costs $740. For front teeth we sometimes use an all ceramic crown which costs $750. Insurance will usually cover 50%, but there is sometimes a waiting period of one year after getting new insurance.
What
Is An All Ceramic Crown? An all ceramic crown does not have the usual metal core. Instead, it uses a special toughened ceramic core. It is not as strong and so it is usually only used on front teeth. The second appointment for an all ceramic crown is longer because of a special cementation process.
