South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
Treatment comparison · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Composite bonding or a crown: repairing the surface versus protecting the whole tooth
Bonding and crowns are sometimes presented as alternatives, but they start from opposite ends of the spectrum. Bonding adds a little tooth-coloured resin to a tooth that is fundamentally healthy. A crown removes the outer layer of a tooth that is already compromised and replaces it with a strong, laboratory-made cap. Which one you need is decided far more by the state of the tooth than by preference.
Decision guide
Which is right for you?
Choose Composite bonding if…
- The tooth is intact and the concern is cosmetic: a chipped corner, a small gap or a short edge.
- You want the work finished in one visit without drilling healthy enamel.
- You would like the option to reverse or adjust the result later.
- The tooth is at the front, where biting forces are lighter.
Choose Dental crowns if…
- The tooth has a crack, a very large filling or has had root canal treatment.
- A significant part of the tooth has broken away or is worn down.
- The tooth is a molar or premolar carrying heavy chewing load.
- You want the longest-lasting restoration available and accept the preparation involved.
At a glance
Side by side
| Feature | Composite bonding | Dental crowns |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Refining appearance | Rebuilding and shielding a weakened tooth |
| How much tooth is covered | Only the area being reshaped | Every surface above the gum |
| Strength | Moderate; fine for edges and low-load areas | High; designed to take full chewing force |
| Expected lifespan | Around 5 to 10 years | Around 10 to 25 years or more |
| Appearance | Tooth-coloured resin sculpted and polished by hand | Laboratory-made ceramic matched to your shade |
| Time needed | 30 to 60 minutes per tooth, one visit | Two visits, typically one to two weeks apart |
| Fee per tooth | From £395 | From £995 |
| Tooth preparation | Little or none; enamel is roughened, not cut | Tooth reduced on all sides to make room for the crown |
| Best suited to | Chips, gaps and small reshaping on healthy teeth | Cracked, heavily restored or root-treated teeth |
In the chair
What the treatment involves
Composite bonding
The dentist chooses a resin shade to match the neighbouring teeth, then lightly etches the enamel and applies a bonding agent. Soft composite is layered onto the tooth, shaped by hand to the desired outline and hardened with a blue light. Final contouring and polishing give the surface its lustre. Anaesthetic is often unnecessary because no healthy tooth is removed, and the whole visit for a single tooth usually takes under an hour.
Dental crowns
At the first visit the tooth is numbed and reshaped, removing a millimetre or two from each surface so the finished crown will sit flush with the gum and neighbours. An impression or digital scan is taken, a temporary crown fitted, and the laboratory makes the definitive crown in porcelain, zirconia or a metal-ceramic combination. One to two weeks later the temporary comes off, the fit and bite are checked and the crown is cemented permanently.
Fees
Cost and longevity at Wimpole Street
Composite bonding at Wimpole Street will start from £395 per tooth and a crown from £995 per tooth. A bonding case involving four front teeth therefore costs less than two crowns, which is one reason bonding is popular for purely cosmetic changes.
Cost per year tells a slightly different story. Bonding is expected to last five to ten years and may need polishing or small repairs along the way, while a well-made crown commonly serves ten to twenty-five years. Where a tooth genuinely needs protection, the crown is generally the better long-term investment; where it does not, the crown is simply more treatment than necessary.
All prices are indicative and are confirmed in a written treatment plan at your consultation. Fees are the same at every Medical & Dental clinic.
Weighing it up
Strengths and trade-offs
Composite bonding
Strengths
- Completed in a single appointment
- Healthy enamel is kept; the process can be reversed
- Considerably lower fee per tooth
- Easy to repair or refresh in the chair
- Usually needs no injection
Trade-offs
- Resin can chip under heavy biting or grinding
- Picks up stain from coffee, tea and red wine over time
- Adds no strength to a weakened tooth
- Shorter lifespan than ceramic
Dental crowns
Strengths
- Encloses and reinforces a fragile tooth
- Withstands full chewing force on back teeth
- Ceramic resists staining and holds its polish
- Frequently lasts two decades or longer
- Also improves shape and colour while it protects
Trade-offs
- Requires removal of sound tooth tissue, which cannot be undone
- Two visits with a temporary crown in between
- Higher fee per tooth
- Some sensitivity is common in the weeks after fitting
FAQ
Common questions
Small chips on a molar can sometimes be bonded, but resin on a chewing surface wears and fractures faster than on a front tooth. If a cusp has broken or the filling is large, an onlay or crown is usually the sturdier repair.
Not necessarily. A skilled dentist can make bonding look entirely natural on a front tooth. Crowns excel when colour and shape need a bigger change, or when the tooth is dark from a previous root treatment.
Typically five to ten years, less if you grind, bite your nails or chew ice. Regular polishing at hygiene visits extends its life, and small chips can be repaired without replacing the whole thing.
Reducing a tooth removes some of its own structure, which is why crowns are reserved for teeth that are already compromised. On such a tooth the crown adds far more strength than the preparation takes away.
Yes. Bonding removes almost no enamel, so all options remain open. If the tooth later cracks or the resin fails repeatedly, a crown can be placed without difficulty.
Yes. Cosmetic bonding and crown work are core services at every Medical & Dental clinic, and both will be available at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026. Until then, the same dentists see patients in South Kensington and the City.
Marylebone, W1
Wimpole Street opens 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you when the Marylebone diary opens. If you would rather not wait, the same clinicians can see you at South Kensington or St Paul's now.
Related treatments at Wimpole Street
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
