South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
Treatment comparison · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Zirconia or porcelain crowns: strength at the back, translucency at the front
Once a tooth needs a crown, the next decision is what to make it from. Both zirconia and porcelain are metal-free ceramics that avoid the grey margin of older metal-based crowns, but they behave differently. Zirconia is a dense, milled ceramic with exceptional resistance to fracture, which has made it the default for molars that take the brunt of chewing. Porcelain, layered by a technician, transmits light in a way that closely resembles enamel and has long been favoured for front teeth. The gap between them has narrowed as translucent, multi-layered zirconia has appeared, but the trade-off between toughness and lifelike depth still guides the choice.
Decision guide
Which is right for you?
Choose Zirconia crowns if…
- The crown is for a back tooth that carries heavy chewing loads.
- You clench or grind, or have chipped ceramic restorations before.
- The remaining tooth is short and a thinner, stronger crown is an advantage.
- You have a sensitivity to metals and want a monolithic, metal-free option.
Choose Porcelain crowns if…
- The crown is on a front tooth that shows every time you speak.
- The neighbouring teeth have subtle colour gradients or translucent edges to match.
- Aesthetics are your first priority and the bite forces on the tooth are moderate.
- You are matching an existing porcelain crown or veneer next door.
At a glance
Side by side
| Feature | Zirconia crowns | Porcelain crowns |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Zirconium dioxide, milled from a solid block | Feldspathic or glass ceramic, layered or pressed |
| Strength | Very high; resists fracture and chipping | Good, but more likely to chip under heavy force |
| Appearance | Good; newer multilayer versions approach porcelain | Excellent; light passes through much as it does enamel |
| Usual position | Molars and premolars; increasingly front teeth | Incisors and canines |
| Tooth reduction | Can be slightly less because thinner walls remain strong | Standard crown preparation |
| Fee at Wimpole Street | From £995 | From £995 |
| How long it lasts | Around 15 to 20 years or more | Around 10 to 15 years or more |
| Effect on opposing teeth | Kind to enamel when well polished; abrasive if left rough | Can wear opposing enamel somewhat |
| Repairs | Hard to adjust once fitted | Chips rarely repairable; usually remade |
| Best suited to | Back teeth, heavy bites, bruxists | Front teeth where appearance leads |
In the chair
What the treatment involves
Zirconia crowns
The tooth is prepared under local anaesthetic in the same way as for any crown, although the dentist may leave slightly more tooth in place because zirconia stays strong in thin section. A digital scan captures the preparation and the opposing teeth, and the design is drawn on screen before being milled from a pre-shaded block of zirconia in a CAD/CAM unit. The crown is then sintered in a furnace, which shrinks and hardens it, and is glazed or, for a more natural look, given a thin layer of porcelain on the visible surfaces. A temporary crown covers the tooth for one to two weeks in the meantime. At the fit appointment the crown is checked for contacts and bite, polished carefully so it is smooth against the opposing teeth, and cemented or bonded in place.
Porcelain crowns
Preparation follows the standard pattern of removing decay and old filling material, then reducing the tooth by one to two millimetres on all surfaces to create even space for the ceramic. A scan or impression and a detailed shade record, sometimes including photographs against a shade guide, go to the ceramist. The crown is either pressed from a glass ceramic ingot or built up by hand in layers of porcelain powder fired in a furnace, each layer adjusted in translucency and tint to copy the neighbouring teeth. A temporary protects the tooth while this is done. At the fitting visit the crown is tried in, any final surface characterisation is added and glazed, and it is bonded with a resin cement chosen to complement the shade.
Fees
Cost and longevity at Wimpole Street
Crowns at Wimpole Street will start from £995 whether made in zirconia or porcelain, so material choice does not change the headline fee. Any preparatory work, such as a core build-up, post or root canal treatment, is itemised separately in the written plan.
Where the two differ is in expected service. Zirconia crowns commonly last 15 to 20 years or more, porcelain crowns 10 to 15 or more, and both depend on how the tooth is loaded, whether you grind and how well the margins are kept clean. Over a lifetime, a back tooth crowned in zirconia is less likely to need remaking after a chip; a front tooth crowned in porcelain is less likely to need replacing for looking wrong. Choosing the material to suit the tooth, rather than applying one material everywhere, is generally the most economical approach.
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
Zirconia crowns
Strengths
- Exceptional fracture resistance
- Well suited to molars and heavy bites
- Metal-free and well tolerated by gums
- Thinner walls allow slightly less tooth removal
- Long lifespan, often 15 to 20 years or more
- Multilayer versions now look natural on front teeth
Trade-offs
- Older, opaque grades can look flat on front teeth
- Shade matching is harder than with layered porcelain
- Difficult to adjust or repair after fitting
- Must be highly polished to protect opposing enamel
- Requires digital milling facilities
Porcelain crowns
Strengths
- Closest match to the translucency of enamel
- Layering allows very precise shade and texture
- Decades of clinical use on front teeth
- Metal-free and kind to gum tissue
- Bonds well to the tooth with resin cements
Trade-offs
- More prone to chipping under heavy load
- Less suitable for back teeth in strong bites
- Lifespan generally shorter than zirconia
- Can wear opposing teeth over time
- Damage usually means a new crown
FAQ
Common questions
Yes. Many front-tooth crowns now use a zirconia core with a layer of porcelain fused to the visible surfaces, or a high-translucency zirconia milled in a single piece. These aim to combine most of zirconia’s strength with much of porcelain’s depth, and are often the recommendation for a canine or premolar in the smile line.
Sintered zirconia is harder than enamel. A smooth, polished surface glides against the opposing tooth without wearing it, but a rough or roughened surface, for instance after a bite adjustment, can act like fine sandpaper. Dentists therefore re-polish any area they adjust before you leave.
Neither absorbs stain the way composite does, and both keep their colour well. Porcelain glaze can wear at the edges after many years, and the natural teeth around either crown may darken or lighten, which is why the crown can seem to change when in fact the neighbours have.
Yes, and its strength makes it well suited to multi-unit bridges at the back of the mouth, where the connectors between units take considerable load. Porcelain alone is rarely used for long-span bridges for the same reason.
No. Zirconia is a ceramic, not a metal, so it is not magnetic and does not trigger metal detectors. The same is true of porcelain. Only older metal-based crowns are relevant here, and even they are generally not a problem for scans.
Yes. Both zirconia and porcelain crowns are provided now at South Kensington and St Paul’s by the same clinicians at the same fee. Reviews and future work can be carried out at Wimpole Street after it opens on 1 October 2026.
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
