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Crowns and bridges
A cap over a weak or broken tooth, or a bridge that replaces a missing one.
- Where
- First floor, Potta, on NH 544
Get directions - Open
- Every day, 10 am – 7 pm
- Who treats you
- Dr. Pavya Priya · KDC 28861
- Fees
- 2 fee ranges
See all fees
On this page
A crown, which most people call a cap, is a cover that fits over a whole tooth. A bridge is a row of joined crowns that fills a gap using the teeth on either side. At Kallada Smile both are planned and fitted by Dr. Pavya Priya, a registered dentist.
What it is
A filling rebuilds part of a tooth. A crown replaces the outside of it. When the walls of a tooth are thin, cracked or heavily filled, a filling keeps breaking. A cover holds the tooth together instead.
The tooth is trimmed evenly on all sides to make room for the thickness of the cover. An impression or scan records the shape, and a laboratory makes the crown to fit. A temporary crown protects the tooth meanwhile.
A bridge works the same way, except that two or more crowns are joined together. A false tooth hangs between them, across the gap. The supporting teeth carry the extra load.
Signs you might need it
- A tooth that has had a root canal, especially a back tooth.
- A large old filling that keeps chipping or falling out.
- A tooth with a crack that hurts when you bite on it.
- A tooth broken by a fall, a stone in rice, or biting something hard.
- Teeth worn flat by grinding, so the bite has closed down.
- A gap where a tooth was removed, with sound teeth on either side of it.
- A tooth so discoloured that no other treatment will change it.
A crown is a large step, and it is not the only one. Dr. Pavya gives the alternatives, with fees.
What happens at Kallada Smile
Examination and X-ray. The tooth and its root are checked, and any decay or infection is dealt with before a crown is planned. X-rays are not taken at Kallada Smile: the clinic does not hold a radiation licence yet. Where one is needed you are given a written note and sent to a radiology centre in Chalakudy, about five minutes away by road, which charges you separately. The picture is read and explained at your appointment.
The plan and the fee. Which material, how many visits, whether a root canal or a build-up is needed first, and the full fee range. You decide.
First visit: preparing. The tooth is numbed and trimmed. An impression or scan is taken, the shade is matched to your other teeth, and a temporary crown is cemented on.
The laboratory. The crown is made to the impression.
Second visit: fitting. The temporary comes off, the new crown is tried in and checked for fit, shade and bite, and then cemented. Small adjustments are normal.
Review. Come back if the tooth feels tall or if anything catches when you chew.
Options
Metal crown. The strongest and the thinnest, so least tooth is removed. It does not look like a tooth, which limits it to back teeth. It costs least.
Ceramic bonded to metal. A metal shell faced with tooth-coloured ceramic. The usual middle choice: strong, and acceptable to look at. A dark line can show at the gum over the years.
All-ceramic. Looks most like a natural tooth and contains no metal. It suits front teeth and, in the newer materials, back teeth too. It costs most.
Bridge. Fills a gap using the neighbouring teeth as supports. Fixed in place, cleaned with a floss threader under the false tooth.
Denture instead. Removable, cheaper, and it does not involve trimming healthy teeth.
Implant instead. Kallada Smile does not place implants yet. Where an implant is the better route, we examine you and refer you.
What can go wrong
A crown means trimming the tooth under it, and that tooth is alive. Trimming can upset the nerve inside, and in some cases the nerve dies months or years later; the tooth then needs root canal treatment carried out through the finished crown. The gum around a new crown can be tender for a few days and can recede later, leaving a line at the edge. A crown can chip, come loose or wear the tooth it bites against, and decay can start again at the margin where the crown meets the tooth. A bridge asks the teeth on either side of the gap to carry the load, and trimming a sound tooth for a bridge cannot be undone.
How long it takes and how many visits
A crown takes two visits: about 45 to 75 minutes to prepare, and 30 minutes to fit, with 1 to 2 weeks between them.
A bridge takes two or three visits and a little longer at each, because more teeth are involved.
Where a root canal or a build-up is needed first, add its own visits before the crown work starts.
The temporary crown holds for that gap and no longer. Do not stretch the interval; a temporary that leaks lets the tooth decay underneath.
Looking after it afterwards
- With the temporary on, avoid sticky and hard food and chew on the other side. Floss out sideways at the gum rather than pulling upwards, so the temporary is not lifted off.
- If the temporary comes off, keep it and message us. It can usually be re-cemented the same working day.
- After the crown is fitted, some sensitivity to cold for a few days is normal on a live tooth.
- If the bite feels high, come back. A high crown aches, and left alone it can crack the tooth or the crown.
- Clean the join at the gum every day with floss or an interdental brush. Decay at the edge is what ends most crowns.
- Under a bridge, use a floss threader or a small brush daily. The false tooth traps food against the gum.
- Have the crown checked at every routine visit, and tell Dr. Pavya if you grind your teeth at night.
Fees
- Crown (cap), per tooth₹3,000 – ₹15,000
- Bridge, per unit₹3,000 – ₹15,000
The final fee is confirmed after examination, in writing, before treatment starts. See all fees
Questions about crowns and bridges
Is a cap the same thing as a crown?
Yes. Cap is the everyday word and crown is the dental one. They mean the same restoration: a cover that fits over the whole tooth. You will hear both used at the clinic, and both are written on your plan. The fee you are quoted is the fee for the same thing.
Which crown material suits my tooth?
It depends on where the tooth is and how hard you bite. Metal is the strongest and the least like a tooth to look at, so it suits a back tooth nobody sees. Ceramic-on-metal is the usual middle choice. All-ceramic looks most natural and costs most. Dr. Pavya sets out the trade-off for your tooth.
How long does a crown last?
Many crowns last for years. What ends them is usually not the crown but the tooth under it. New decay at the edge, or a root that cracks. Cleaning the join every day, and a check at every routine visit, is what makes the difference. No lasting time can be promised in advance.
Should a gap be filled with a bridge or an implant?
A bridge uses the teeth on either side as supports, so those teeth are trimmed down. An implant does not touch them, but it is a surgical procedure and costs more. Kallada Smile does not place implants yet, so we examine you and refer you where an implant is the better route. Dr. Pavya explains both before you decide.
Does a tooth need a root canal before a crown?
Not always. A crown is often placed on a live tooth that is worn or cracked but not infected. A root canal comes first when the nerve is already involved. It also comes first when so little tooth is left that the crown would sit against the pulp. Dr. Pavya tells you which at the examination.
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