The post is designed to stay for decades. The implant crown on top is the part that takes the wear, catches the light and eventually needs attention, in the same way any restoration does. It is made separately, once the post has fused.
In Victoria an implant crown is screwed or cemented
An implant crown reaches the post through an abutment. It can be screwed down through the biting surface, with the access hole filled afterwards, or cemented onto the abutment like a conventional crown. Screw retained is easier to remove later if anything needs attention. Cemented can look better where the screw hole would fall in a visible spot.
Which suits depends on the tooth. For a molar under a Single Tooth Implant the access hole is invisible and retrievability wins. For a Front Tooth Implant the angle of the post often decides it, which is one more reason the position is planned before surgery.
Where a crown spans more than one tooth, the same choices apply across an Implant Supported Bridge, usually with screw retention because there is more to maintain.
Restoration stage
How it works
Implant crown, from integrated post to seated tooth in four steps
Confirm integration
The post is tested before anything is built on it. If it has not fused, no crown is made and we discuss why.
Impression or scan
The position of the post and the shape of the surrounding teeth are recorded, digitally or with a conventional impression.
Shade and make
Shade taken against your own teeth, then the crown is milled or layered in the laboratory to that specification.
Fit and check
Tried in, adjusted, seated, and the bite checked. One review appointment after that to confirm it has settled.
Materials
Zirconia or porcelain for an implant crown
Zirconia is strong and resists chipping, which suits back teeth and the heavy bites often seen with an Implant Supported Bridge. Layered porcelain handles light more like enamel, which matters where the crown sits in the smile. Modern zirconia has closed much of that gap, and for most patients the choice is made on position and bite rather than preference.
Whichever is used, the implant crown is a wearing part with a service life, not a permanent fixture. Expect to review it over the years and to replace it eventually, which is covered on Implant Lifespan. The cleaning that protects it is on Caring For Implants.
StrengthZirconia
LightPorcelain
PositionChoice by
Related treatments
Related Victoria implant crown treatments
The post underneath, the alternatives on top, and looking after the result.
Materials, lifespan, repairs and what happens if one chips.
Commonly ten to fifteen years, sometimes considerably longer, depending on your bite and whether you grind. That is a service life, not a failure. The post underneath is unaffected, so replacing a worn crown is a much smaller job than the original treatment.
Small chips can sometimes be polished or repaired in the chair. Larger ones usually mean a new crown, which is straightforward on a screw retained restoration because it can be unscrewed. Tell us early rather than living with a rough edge, which tends to make things worse.
A screw can loosen, usually because of an uneven bite rather than anything wrong with the implant. It is a quick fix if dealt with promptly. Left alone, a loose crown puts unusual force on the post, which is a much bigger problem, so book as soon as you notice movement.
Far less. Ceramic does not absorb stain the way enamel does, so it tends to hold its colour. The complication is that natural teeth do change over the years, so a crown matched today can look lighter than its neighbours in a decade. That is worth knowing before whitening.
No. Whitening works on natural tooth structure and has no effect on ceramic. If you plan to whiten, do it before the crown is made so the shade can be matched to the lighter result. Doing it afterwards leaves the crown looking darker than everything else.
Victoria patients
What Victoria implant crown patients say
★★★★★4.9· 118 reviews on Google
★★★★★
Screw retained so it can come off later if needed. Nobody had explained that difference to me before.
H. Ferreira
Molar crown, Victoria
★★★★★
Tried in, sent back once because the shade was slightly off, then perfect. Glad they were fussy about it.
C. Nowicki
Front crown, Langford
★★★★★
Shade matched against the tooth next to it, not against a chart across the room.
Z. Marchand
Crown replacement, Colwood
★★★★★
I grind my teeth so they went with zirconia and made me a night guard. Sensible advice rather than a sale.
U. Bergman
Zirconia crown, Saanich
From the blog
Victoria implant guides: crown materials, cost and healing time
Ask about the Victoria implant crown before the post goes in
How the crown will attach and what it will be made from should be settled at planning, because both affect where the post is placed. Bring the question to the consultation rather than to the restoration appointment.
