BEAUFORT PARK

DENTAL SURGERY

Affordable dental care for Chepstow

Crowns Inlays and Veneers

Let us start with some definitions, to avoid confusion!

A crown, which is sometimes mistakenly called a "cap", is a laboratory made restoration which encases a tooth. These can be tooth coloured or metallic. The tooth is reduced by an appropriate amount so that the thickness of the finished crown brings the tooth back to a normal size. Crowns are used for cosmetic reasons or to strengthen a heavily restored tooth.

An inlay is similar to a filling, except made in a laboratory. They are placed wholly or partly within a tooth and again can be tooth coloured or metallic. The advantage of an inlay over a filling is the inherent strength that the lab production process gives, plus giving greater flexibility to build up a tooth, or match cosmetic needs. The advantage over a crown is that an inlay can be more conservative of the remaining tooth while still providing some support to a weakened tooth structure. However an inlay cannot be placed a lot of situations where a crown can be used

Veneers are normally made of porcelain and are placed mainly for cosmetic reasons, rather than strength and support. A veneer is normally made in a laboratory and is a thin covering of material that is cemented over the outer face of a tooth. A veneer can potentially be placed on any tooth but most commonly they are used on the upper front teeth to lighten, cover discolorations, chips and unsightly fillings, or make minor adjustments to the position of teeth. Note that more major adjustments may need a crown for the additional strength it provides and that orthodontics (braces) may represent a better option for repositioning teeth.

Private or NHS treatment

Any of the above three options can be provided on the NHS but are only offered where they are clinically needed, not purely for cosmetic reasons. On back teeth, crowns and inlays on the NHS would only be offered as metallic, not tooth coloured restorations.

Privately these restorations can be placed on any suitable tooth and can be placed electively, purely for cosmetic reasons. Patients often opt for private crowns, inlays and veneers to:-

• Treat purely cosmetic issues

  • Veneers on front teeth

  • Replacing non-aesthetic restorations

• Provide more aesthetic restorations than the basic options offered on the NHS

• Provide tooth coloured restorations where the NHS would only offer metallic