Implant crowns: how a crown fits on a dental implant

An implant crown is the visible tooth that sits on top of a dental implant, joined to it by a connector called an abutment. At Toothi in Edgware the porcelain crown and abutment are included in our single implant fee of £1,995. There’s no separate crown charge. Here’s how implant crowns work, the main types and what to expect.

A dental implant has three parts. The implant itself is a small titanium post placed in the jawbone, acting as the root. The abutment connects to the implant and rises through the gum. The crown is the custom-made tooth attached to the abutment.

The crown is the part you see and chew with, so its shape, shade and fit matter a lot. At Toothi we use Osstem implants and a porcelain crown designed to match your neighbouring teeth.

At Toothi the crown is part of the implant price. A single implant is £1,995 and includes the Osstem implant, abutment, porcelain crown and all reviews, plus digital planning and a surgical guide when guided surgery is used.

Prices are fixed and taken from our fees page.

If you need a new crown on an existing implant, including one placed elsewhere, we price it after assessment. See our dental implant cost guide for how fees compare across treatment types, and crown vs implant if you’re deciding whether to save a tooth.

Implant crowns are fixed in one of two ways. Either way you don’t take the crown out yourself. The difference is how easily a dentist can get to it later.

• ✓  Screw-retained. The crown is held by a small screw through its biting surface, then the access hole is sealed with tooth-coloured filling. The dentist can take it off for cleaning or repair without damaging it, and there’s no cement left under the gum.
• ✓  Cemented. The crown is cemented onto the abutment, like a crown on a natural tooth. It can suit some positions for appearance reasons, but excess cement must be carefully removed.
• ✓  Which is right? It depends on the angle of the implant, where it sits in the mouth and how it looks. We explain the choice for your case in your written plan.

The final crown is fitted once the implant has bonded with the bone, which typically takes a few months. What you wear in the meantime depends on where the gap is.

For a back tooth, many people simply leave the gap while it heals. For a front tooth, we discuss a temporary option, such as a removable tooth or a bonded temporary, so you’re not left with a visible gap (see front tooth implants and temporary tooth replacement options). We don’t place an implant and fit a fixed tooth on the same day. The implant heals first.

An implant crown can last many years if you look after it, though like any crown it can wear or chip over time. Cleaning around it daily, keeping your reviews and wearing a nightguard if you grind all help.

Healthy gum around the crown matters just as much as the crown itself. Read about peri-implantitis and how long dental implants last, or start with a free consultation on our dental implants page in Edgware.