Dental Crowns and Bridges in Dubai: Zirconia, PFM and E.max
A crown is a made-to-measure cap that covers a damaged, root-treated or heavily filled tooth so it can be used again without breaking. A bridge uses crowns on the neighbouring teeth to carry a false tooth across a gap. At Smart Care Polyclinic in Deira, a zirconia crown is AED 599 and a PFM crown AED 399 per tooth, with the consultation free.
For: cracked, root-treated or heavily filled teeth; gaps
Visits: usually two, about a week apart
Price: zirconia AED 599 · PFM AED 399 per tooth
What it is
A crown replaces the outer shell of a tooth. The dentist reshapes the tooth into a smaller core, takes an impression or scan, and a dental laboratory makes a crown that fits over it exactly. You wear a temporary crown for about a week, then the final one is cemented in place. Done well, a crown looks and works like the tooth it replaced.
Crowns are the usual recommendation after a root canal on a back tooth. A root-treated tooth has been hollowed out and is brittle. In a cohort of 203 root-treated teeth followed for up to eleven years, those left without a crown were lost at six times the rate of those crowned afterwards.1
The material matters less than people think, and the tooth underneath matters more. A 2026 meta-analysis of tooth-supported single crowns found five-year survival of 97.1% for metal-ceramic, 96.8% for monolithic zirconia and 98.5% for lithium disilicate — all within a couple of points of each other.2 Crowns on living teeth survived best of all, at 98.3% over five years.3
Zirconia crowns — AED 599 per tooth
Strong, metal-free and natural-looking. Zirconia is a dense ceramic that resists fracture well, which is why it is the usual choice for molars and premolars that take the heaviest chewing loads. Modern zirconia is translucent enough to be used at the front too, so one material can do the whole mouth.
Monolithic zirconia — milled from a single block — has fewer chipping problems than the older layered kind. The 2026 review found monolithic zirconia and lithium disilicate crowns had significantly fewer ceramic fractures and chips than crowns with a hand-layered porcelain surface.2 That is the type used here.
Best suited to: molars and premolars, teeth under heavy bite forces, patients who want a metal-free option, and anyone who grinds their teeth.
PFM crowns — AED 399 per tooth
Porcelain fused to metal: a proven combination of strength and value. A PFM crown has a metal core for strength with tooth-coloured porcelain bonded over it. It has been used for decades, and in the largest review of single crowns it survived at 94.7% over five years — essentially the same as the all-ceramic options.4
The trade-off is appearance. The metal core blocks light, so a PFM crown is slightly less translucent than an all-ceramic one, and a thin grey line can show at the gum edge over the years as gums recede. At the back of the mouth that rarely matters; on a front tooth it can.
Best suited to: back teeth, bridges, and anyone who wants a reliable, cost-effective crown where the highest level of translucency is not needed.
E.max crowns — quoted at your consultation
Premium translucency for front teeth. E.max is lithium disilicate, a glass-ceramic that mimics the way natural enamel transmits light. It is chosen when the crown will be in full view and matching the neighbouring teeth precisely is the priority.
As a single crown it performs very well; as a bridge it does not. A systematic review found lithium disilicate single crowns survived at 97.8% at five years and 96.7% at ten, but the same material used as a bridge survived only 78.1% at five years, with most failures at the back of the mouth.5 So E.max is a front-tooth crown material, not a bridge material.
Best suited to: front teeth and other highly visible teeth, smile makeovers, and patients who want the most natural cosmetic result.
Inlays and onlays: when a filling is too small and a crown too much
An inlay or onlay is a lab-made restoration that replaces part of a tooth rather than covering all of it. An inlay sits within the chewing surface; an onlay also covers one or more cusps. They are used where a large filling would be weak but there is still enough healthy tooth to avoid cutting it down for a full crown.
The dentist will say at the consultation which is right, because the decision depends on how much sound tooth is left — something only an examination and an X-ray can show.
Bridges: replacing a missing tooth without surgery
A bridge is a false tooth held by crowns on the teeth either side of the gap. It is fixed, not removable, and needs no surgery, which is why it remains the usual alternative to an implant. It does mean the two supporting teeth are crowned.
Bridges last well, and the material choice is between PFM and zirconia. Conventional tooth-supported bridges survived at 93.8% over five years and 89.2% over ten in a major review; the commonest problems were decay or nerve damage in the supporting teeth rather than the bridge breaking.6 Comparing materials, metal-ceramic bridges reached 94.4% and zirconia 90.4% at five years, a difference that was not statistically significant.7
A bridge is priced per unit — each crown and each false tooth counts as one — and the dentist gives you the whole figure before anything starts.
What happens at the appointments
Visit one: the tooth is numbed and reshaped, any old filling or decay is removed and the core is built up where needed, an impression or digital scan is taken, the shade is matched to the neighbouring teeth, and a temporary crown is fitted.
Visit two, about a week later: the temporary is removed, the final crown is tried in, checked for fit, contact and bite, adjusted if needed and cemented. Mild sensitivity for a few days is common and settles.
Aftercare: brush and floss the crown like a natural tooth. The crown cannot decay, but the tooth under its edge can, which is why the gum line around it matters most.
| Crown type | Strength | Appearance | Commonly used for | Price per tooth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zirconia | Excellent | Excellent | Front and back teeth, heavy bites | AED 599 |
| PFM | Very good | Good | Back teeth and bridges | AED 399 |
| E.max | Very good | Excellent | Front and visible teeth | Quoted at consultation |
Prices at Smart Care, Deira
Zirconia crown
A metal-free ceramic crown, strong enough for molars and natural-looking enough for front teeth.
AED 599 per tooth
BookPFM crown (porcelain fused to metal)
A crown with a metal core under tooth-coloured porcelain — the long-established option for back teeth and bridges.
AED 399 per tooth
BookRoot canal
Treating infection inside the tooth so the tooth can be kept rather than removed.
AED 599 per tooth
Book
The consultation is free. Prices are per the unit shown and are confirmed in writing at your examination before treatment starts. See all dental prices →
Questions patients ask
At Smart Care Polyclinic in Deira, a zirconia crown is AED 599 per tooth and a PFM (porcelain fused to metal) crown is AED 399 per tooth. E.max crowns are quoted at the consultation. The consultation itself is free, and you have the full figure before any tooth is prepared.
For a back tooth under heavy chewing forces, either works well; zirconia is metal-free and slightly more natural-looking, PFM is the more economical. For a visible front tooth, zirconia or E.max gives the better cosmetic result. The dentist will recommend one based on the tooth, your bite and how much natural tooth remains.
Across the largest reviews, roughly 95 to 98 out of 100 crowns are still in place after five years, whatever the material. Beyond that, what matters most is keeping the gum edge clean, not grinding on it, and the health of the tooth underneath. Ten to fifteen years is common with good care; nobody can promise a figure for one tooth.
Usually yes on a back tooth. A root-treated tooth is hollow and brittle, and the study evidence shows root-treated teeth without a crown are lost at around six times the rate of those with one. A front tooth with plenty of structure left can sometimes be filled instead; the dentist will say which applies.
The tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic before any preparation, so the appointment itself should not hurt. Some sensitivity to hot and cold for a few days afterwards is normal. If the tooth is already root-treated there is no nerve to feel anything.
No. Whitening only changes natural enamel. If you are planning to whiten, do it first and have the crown shade-matched to the result.
This guide is general information about a treatment, not advice about your teeth. Which option suits you depends on the tooth, your bite, your gums and what you want long term — all of which the dentist assesses at your free consultation before anything is agreed.
References
- Aquilino SA, Caplan DJ. Relationship between crown placement and the survival of endodontically treated teeth. Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. 2002;87(3):256-263. PMID 11941351. doi:10.1067/mpr.2002.122014Root-treated teeth left without a crown were lost at six times the rate of those crowned afterwards (95% CI 3.2 to 11.3), in a 203-tooth cohort followed for up to eleven years.
- Pjetursson BE, Pitta J, Balet A, et al.. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Evaluating the Survival, Failure, and Complication Rates of Metal-Ceramic, Veneered, and Monolithic All-Ceramic Tooth-Supported Single Crowns-Part 1. International Journal of Prosthodontics. 2026;39(3):308-324. PMID 41489982. doi:10.11607/ijp.9633Five-year survival of tooth-supported single crowns: 98.5% monolithic lithium disilicate, 97.3% veneered zirconia, 97.1% metal-ceramic, 96.8% monolithic zirconia. Monolithic designs had significantly fewer ceramic fractures and chipping than veneered ones.
- Hawthan M, Larsson C, Chrcanovic BR. Survival of fixed prosthetic restorations on vital and nonvital teeth: A systematic review. Journal of Prosthodontics. 2024;33(2):110-122. PMID 37455556. doi:10.1111/jopr.13735Crowns on living teeth survived best (98.3% at 5 years); all-ceramic crowns on root-treated teeth with a fibre post reached 95.0%. The state of the tooth under the crown matters as much as the crown material.
- Sailer I, Makarov NA, Thoma DS, et al.. All-ceramic or metal-ceramic tooth-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs)? A systematic review of the survival and complication rates. Part I: Single crowns (SCs). Dental Materials. 2015;31(6):603-623. PMID 25842099. doi:10.1016/j.dental.2015.02.01167 studies, 14,097 crowns: 5-year survival 94.7% for metal-ceramic and 96.6% for lithium disilicate crowns. Weaker feldspathic ceramics survived less well at the back of the mouth, and the veneered zirconia crowns of that era lost more veneering ceramic than metal-ceramic crowns.
- Pieger S, Salman A, Bidra AS. Clinical outcomes of lithium disilicate single crowns and partial fixed dental prostheses: a systematic review. Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. 2014;112(1):22-30. PMID 24674802. doi:10.1016/j.prosdent.2014.01.005Lithium disilicate (E.max) single crowns: 97.8% survival at 5 years and 96.7% at 10 years, but only 78.1% at 5 years when used as a bridge, with most failures at the back of the mouth.
- Pjetursson BE, Brägger U, Lang NP, Zwahlen M. Comparison of survival and complication rates of tooth-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) and implant-supported FDPs and single crowns (SCs). Clinical Oral Implants Research. 2007;18 Suppl 3:97-113. PMID 17594374. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0501.2007.01439.xConventional tooth-supported bridges: 93.8% survival at 5 years and 89.2% at 10 years. The commonest problems were decay and loss of vitality in the supporting teeth rather than the bridge itself breaking.
- Pjetursson BE, Sailer I, Makarov NA, et al.. All-ceramic or metal-ceramic tooth-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs)? A systematic review of the survival and complication rates. Part II: Multiple-unit FDPs. Dental Materials. 2015;31(6):624-639. PMID 25935732. doi:10.1016/j.dental.2015.02.01340 studies of bridges: 5-year survival 94.4% for metal-ceramic and 90.4% for zirconia bridges, a difference that did not reach statistical significance; framework fracture was rare in both (0.6% and 1.9%) but reached 8.0% in glass-ceramic bridges.
Sources are listed for the specific statements they support. They are published research and guidance, not a substitute for a consultation — what applies to you is decided by a doctor who has assessed you.
Read more: Dental Crowns: Which Type Is Right for You?