Everything You Should Know About Dental Crowns and Bridges in Singapore (2025)

Root canal treatment may be required before these treatments.

To fit these tooth prosthesis, the target teeth are first reduced in size. This change allows an additional protective layer to be permanently bonded to the tooth.

Your dentist in Singapore custom makes dental crowns and bridges to meet the specific needs of each patient. How will you know what you need?

Dental crowns and bridges, like fingerprints, are unlikely to ever be identical!

What affects the cost of dental crowns in Singapore?

Dental crowns are essentially caps that fit over teeth like a helmet. They replace the damaged part of the tooth.

The cost of dental crowns varies significantly and is determined by a number of factors:

• How much experience and training does the dentist have?

• Type, material, and brand of dental crown used

• The size, position, and condition of the tooth in question

• Whether additional treatments are needed (e.g., root canal, bone transplant, implant screws)

• The type of diagnostic imaging employed (for example, X-ray, CBCT scan)

How can I tell whether I need a dental crown?

Dental crowns are most commonly used:

• A direct filling (made of amalgam or composite resin) may no longer be strong enough to restore the tooth. This is typically the situation when a cavity has become too large. The native tooth structure has deteriorated to the point where it cannot resist typical biting forces.

• To preserve a structurally damaged tooth from further wear and strain. This could be due to a large prior filling (Point 1) or a tooth with a history of cracking and/or fracture that is beginning to deteriorate. This saves time for your teeth to bite another day!

• As an aesthetic procedure, a deformed or discolored tooth is covered and re-contoured. In these cases, a dental crown can help to restore form as well as function. Yes, it is possible to have it both ways at times!

• To restore a dental implant after endodontics (root canal treatment) for any or all of points 1, 2, or 3. Again, this improves both form and function. A dental implant that lacks a biting and smiling surface is not truly complete without a dental crown.

Types and Prices of Dental Crowns in Singapore

Each dental crown material has different pros and cons. As with most things in life, one size does not fit all.

Related article: A Dentist Explains Dental Implant Costs in Singapore

I've summarized the advantages and disadvantages of each material below:

Tooth-colored dental crowns

1. Resin

• Advantages: Affordable

• Cons: The weakest of the dental crown materials available. They have a shorter lifespan than other materials and might chip off if you bite too hard.

If you want a low-cost dental crown that matches the color of your natural teeth, you might want to look into resin crowns.

2. Porcelain Fused to Metal (PFM)

• Pros: More durable than resin and better at reproducing real tooth color

• Cons: Higher cost than resin

They are more expensive than resin but last longer and have a more natural appearance. A metal base is typically incorporated into the porcelain dental crown. Depending on how this is done, you may observe a sliver of darker color near the base of the dental crown.

3. All-ceramic (e.g., zirconia)

• Pros: Most durable of all natural tooth-colored materials, the most natural-looking, and biocompatible

• Cons: Expensive

The natural translucency of the material gives these premium dental crowns the most realistic appearance. Their longevity rivals that of metal ones, and they are approximately five times stronger than typical porcelain ones.

Obviously, you get what you paid for. Ceramic dental crowns range in price from S$1,000 to S$2,000 or more, including material, brand, and trademark fees. If you're concerned, these dental crowns are biocompatible, which means you won't have to worry about allergic reactions or difficulties.

Non-tooth colored dental crowns

1. Metal

• Advantages: Strength and durability

• Cons: More obvious and less elegant

Metal dental crowns are sturdy and long-lasting, but they are also likely to be visible and ugly. Because of their apparent hue, they are more commonly employed for posterior (back) teeth. Chromium and nickel are two often utilized metals. Metal dental crowns typically cost between S$600 and S$1,000.

2. Gold

• Pros: High durability and long lifespan

• Cons: You might dislike the colour. Gold dental crowns can be costly

Dental crowns constructed of gold alloy are among the strongest available.

They are really durable, although the colour is not popular nowadays. The advantage of gold dental crowns is that they are exceptionally stable (non-corrosive), which means they last a long time. Gold metal dental crowns might cost as much as S$3,000.

Types of Dental Bridges

Bridges, unlike dental crowns, are designed to replace teeth rather than protect them, similar to how a dental crown is used in implant restoration.

Related article: The Ultimate Guide to Dental Implants in Singapore

A bridge uses a false tooth or teeth (known as pontics) to link teeth next to the missing tooth, bridging the gap.

They, like dental crowns, are made of a variety of materials with varying costs: gold, alloys, porcelain, and so on.

Bridges come in a variety of designs and intricacy, including the Traditional Bridge, Cantilever Bridge, and Acid-etched or Maryland Bridge.

Bridges typically cost S$650 to S$1,800 per unit.

Traditional bridge

Traditional bridges are the most popular type of bridge. They have one or more pontics (artificial teeth) secured in place with dental crowns. Traditional bridges are appropriate when you have natural teeth on both sides of the gap left by a missing tooth or teeth.

The disadvantage is that your dentist must drill and shave the enamel on the teeth next to the gap to make room for the dental crowns that will be put on top. Because the enamel (outside covering of the tooth) cannot regenerate, these teeth require permanent protection with a dental crown or cantilever bridge.

Cantilever bridges

Cantilever bridges are comparable to typical bridges, except that they are only linked to one tooth adjacent to the gap (rather than two). This means you do not need to remove the enamel from the other tooth. These are less expensive since you only need one false tooth and one dental crown rather than two (one on each side of the fake tooth).

However, because cantilever bridges are only supported by one dental crown, difficulties may arise. These include cracked teeth and loosened dental crowns.

Bonded Bridge

If you simply need one tooth replaced, your dentist may offer a bonded bridge. Instead of applying dental crowns on adjacent teeth, a pontic with metal or porcelain "wings" might be employed. These "wings" are linked to the inner edges of the neighboring teeth. The benefit of this is that only a little portion of the healthy surrounding teeth may need to be removed.

These are the cheapest options among the three types of bridges, but there is a disadvantage. These are less durable than the other two types because the bonded edges can fracture or detach more easily than the dental crowns in a regular bridge.

A word about implants

You could also consider using an implant to replace a missing tooth. These are more expensive but often a better option because they have fewer issues than dental bridges.

In short, they might be superior because:

• Implants do not require lowering the size of surrounding teeth

• It is easier to maintain proper dental hygiene with them since they do not trap food or other particle matter like bridges do

• However, they are typically more expensive and need surgical treatments

Want to learn more about dental implants? You might be interested in these:

• 5 Reasons Why Dental Implants Fail

• 8 Must-Know Details About Dental Implants in Singapore

Your dentist will be pleased to discuss what type of dental crown/bridge is ideal for you and make a decision that you are satisfied with.