Dental Crowns in Wuppertal

There is no crown that is best across the board — it depends on which tooth is being restored, how visible it is and how much strength is needed. What the studies do show is that the differences between the established materials are small. At five years, survival is around 98.5 % for monolithic lithium disilicate, 97.1 % for metal-ceramic and 96.8 % for monolithic zirconia. In other words, the choice is made on the tooth’s position, the aesthetics and the bite, not on a material being dramatically more durable.

All-ceramic looks particularly natural and contains no metal; metal-ceramic is robust and has been proven over many years. On five-year survival the two are close together (roughly 97–98.5 %), so the decision tends to turn on appearance and on the gum line: with metal-ceramic, a fine dark margin can become visible over time, which matters most at the front.

A crown can last many years when it is looked after; material, fit, loading and regular check-ups all decide the outcome. On the numbers we can be precise for the first five years: survival is around 98.5 % for monolithic lithium disilicate, 97.1 % for metal-ceramic and 96.8 % for monolithic zirconia. Beyond that we have to be honest — **there are no reliable pooled ten-year figures for crowns on natural teeth.** Anyone quoting a firm ten-year percentage is going further than the evidence allows. And all of these are averages from studies, not a prognosis for your individual tooth.

The cost depends on the material, the work involved and the subsidy from your health insurance, which is why we do not quote blanket figures here. What you should know about the paperwork: the treatment and cost plan (Heil- und Kostenplan, HKP) is submitted to your fund and has to be approved **before** treatment begins. Once approved it is valid for six months, and the date that counts is the day the crown is fitted. Prices are guide values; the binding figure is the one in your written plan. If you have private cover, your insurer decides what it reimburses on the basis of your own tariff — submit the plan to them first. Payment in instalments is possible; the terms are explained to you in writing beforehand.

The statutory fund (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, GKV) pays a fixed subsidy (Festzuschuss) where a crown is medically necessary. The subsidy is tied to the finding, not to the crown you choose, and covers 60 % of the standard-care cost — rising to 70 % if you have kept your bonus booklet (Bonusheft) for five years and 75 % after ten; in cases of hardship it can reach 100 %. For a single-tooth finding in 2026 that works out at roughly €552.96, €645.12 or €691.20, and up to €921.60 in a hardship case; which figure applies depends on the exact finding, and your written plan names it. It is worth knowing what standard care actually includes: a tooth-coloured facing is only covered for teeth 15–25 in the upper jaw and 34–44 in the lower, and only on the outward-facing surface. Facing all the way round, and all-ceramic, are extras you pay for yourself.

A crown often becomes necessary when a tooth is badly damaged and a filling on its own would no longer be stable enough — typically after deep decay, a fracture or a root canal treatment. Where enough healthy substance is left, an inlay or a partial crown may be the more substance-sparing route, and we will say so.

A crown restores a tooth that is still there; an implant replaces one that is missing. They answer different questions, so they are not really alternatives. As long as the tooth is worth keeping, the crown is the more conservative route.

Not always, but root-treated teeth that have lost a lot of substance are often stabilised with a crown, because they fracture more easily under load. How much healthy tooth is left is what decides it, and we go through that with you after the root canal has settled.

Yes. The crown itself cannot decay, but the junction with your own tooth can — if plaque is left at the margin or the crown starts to leak. That is why cleaning the margin and the interdental spaces, plus a yearly check-up, matter more for a crowned tooth than for an untouched one.

Usually the tooth is prepared, an impression is taken digitally or conventionally, a temporary crown protects the tooth in the meantime, and the finished crown is fitted permanently at the second appointment. With our own laboratory in-house that is often only a few appointments.