Crowns, bridges and veneers · Designer Smiles, Solihull
A broken tooth made whole. A gap closed. A smile redesigned.
Three ways to rebuild what a tooth has lost: a crown over a weakened tooth from £332.10 in metal, £450 in white or £800 in porcelain, a bridge across a gap from £400 a unit, porcelain veneers at £800 a tooth. Each is planned on a 3D scan and priced in writing before it starts, and veneer cases get a trial smile first.
In short
Which is which.
A crown is a cap that covers a whole tooth, for a tooth too weak to hold a filling. A bridge is a false tooth held by crowns on the teeth either side, for a gap. A veneer is a thin porcelain shell over the front of a healthy tooth, for its shape and shade. All three are made in a laboratory to a scan of your mouth and fixed in place for years.
Which does your tooth need?
The honest sorting.
People arrive asking for veneers and leave with bonding, or asking about a bridge and leave with an implant. Here is the sorting your dentist does at the consultation, in advance.
A crown, when
- A large part of the tooth has broken and a filling would not hold.
- The tooth has had a root canal; a root-filled back tooth cracks without a crown.
- An old, large filling has left thin walls around it.
- A tooth is badly worn and needs its height back.
A bridge, when
- One or two teeth are missing and the teeth either side are sound, or already crowned.
- An implant is not an option for you: bone, health or preference.
- Not when the neighbouring teeth are healthy and untouched and an implant would spare them; the consultation puts both side by side.
Veneers, when
- Healthy front teeth whose shape, length or shade you want changed for the long term.
- Enamel that has worn or eroded and needs covering.
- Not when the change is small: a chip, a short edge, a slight gap. Composite bonding does that in one visit, for less, with no enamel removed.
- Not when teeth need moving: Invisalign first.
How it runs
Five steps, two visits for the work, the lab in between.
- 1
Consultation
A 3D scan of your face and teeth, x-rays, a full check, and the honest sorting above. For smile design the consultation is free; a new patient examination starts from £27.90.
- 2
Design and price
Crowns and bridges are planned to your bite; veneers are designed on screen to your face, and a trial smile is placed over your own teeth so you see and adjust the result first. The price is written down before anything starts.
- 3
Preparation
The tooth is shaped under local anaesthetic: reduced to a small core for a crown, the neighbours shaped for a bridge, a thin layer of enamel taken for a veneer. A scan replaces the mould. You leave with a temporary in place.
- 4
The laboratory
Your crown, bridge or veneers are made to the scan, in the shade chosen against your other teeth. About two weeks.
- 5
The fit
The temporary comes off, the final work is tried, adjusted for your bite and bonded in place. A last check of how the teeth meet, and how to clean around the new work.
What it is like
Numb for the preparation, a temporary for a fortnight.
The preparation visit is done under local anaesthetic, so you feel pressure and vibration, not pain. A prepared tooth can be tender to cold for a few days; the temporary protects it in the meantime, and you eat carefully on that side until the final is fitted.
Afterwards the new work is cleaned like a tooth. A bridge needs floss threaded under the false tooth, which takes a week to get the knack of; your dentist shows you. Crowns and bridges commonly last ten years and often much longer, porcelain veneers ten to fifteen. What shortens all three is the same thing that damages teeth: grinding, biting hard things, and gums left uncleaned around the edges.
Same-day crowns and bridges
Scanned, milled and fitted in one visit.
If you would rather not come back for the fit, we also offer same-day crowns and bridges: the tooth is scanned, the crown or bridge is milled from ceramic in the practice, and it is fitted the same day, with no temporary and no second appointment. It costs a little more than the two-visit route; the figure for your tooth is written down at the consultation, and the choice is yours.
Before and after
Teeth rebuilt here.
Crowns and bridges from this practice: a broken front tooth crowned, a decayed back tooth restored, gaps bridged.
What it costs
Priced by the tooth, from the NHS band figure.
A crown here starts from £332.10 for a metal crown, the NHS Band 3 figure, which is where the NHS would put a crown; a white crown is from £450 and a porcelain or ceramic crown from £800. Bridges are priced per unit, one unit for each crown or false tooth in the span. Veneers are priced per tooth. Where a root canal is needed before a crown, that is priced separately and told to you first.
From the Designer Smiles fee guide, September 2026.
For a gap: bridge, implant or denture
Three ways to fill a gap, set side by side.
The question people bring most often is bridge or implant. Here is the honest comparison, with the denture beside them because it is the third real option.
| What happens | Neighbouring teeth | How long it lasts | Price here | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge | A false tooth carried by crowns on the teeth either side; two visits | Shaped to take crowns | Ten years, often longer | From £400 a unit | A gap whose neighbours already need crowns, or when implants are not an option |
| Implant | A titanium root in the jaw with its own crown; several months | Untouched | Decades with care | From £1,700 | A gap between healthy teeth, enough bone, a fixed tooth for the long term |
| Denture | A removable plate carrying the missing tooth or teeth | Untouched | Years; relined as the gum changes | From £332.10 a jaw | Several missing teeth, or the lowest cost now |
The consultation sets all three against your own scan; the right answer depends on the teeth either side and the bone beneath the gap, both of which the scan shows. Weighing a trip abroad for veneers or crowns? The whole comparison, with prices, is on its own page.
Who does it
Three dentists, one scanner.
GDC 265535 · 302859 · 303066Dr Aadam Binamin, Dr Uthmaan Binamin and Dr Abbaas Binamin restore teeth here, planned on the practice’s 3D scanners rather than putty moulds, with veneer cases designed to the face and tried in as a trial smile before anything is made. All three are on the General Dental Council register.
About the practiceWhat patients say
In their own words.
Sufian K.★★★★★Had root canal done here. Fantastic service from all staff cannot recommend highly enough. Very professional, hygienic and you leave the practice feeling you’ve got your moneys worth.
Deborah P.★★★★★Very professional and relaxed atmosphere. Thorough examination and all options explained in detail. Highly recommended.
San A.★★★★★Excellent treatment, very friendly staff. Made me feel very comfortable throughout the treatment. Very convenient location, would highly recommend.
Questions
Asked before people book.
How much does a crown cost?
From £332.10 for a metal crown at Designer Smiles, the NHS Band 3 figure; from £450 for a white crown and from £800 for a porcelain or ceramic crown. The final price depends on the tooth and the material, and is written down before the tooth is prepared. If the tooth needs a root canal first, that is £550 to £850 depending on the tooth.
How much does a bridge cost?
From £400 per unit. A bridge replacing one tooth is usually three units: the false tooth and a crown on each neighbour. The consultation counts the units for your gap.
How much are veneers?
Porcelain veneers are £800 a tooth. Composite bonding, which reshapes a tooth in resin in one visit without removing enamel, is from £200 a tooth and is what many people who ask for veneers actually want; the consultation says which.
Crown or veneer: which is better?
Neither; they do different jobs. A crown covers the whole tooth and is for a tooth that is weak or broken. A veneer covers only the front and is for a healthy tooth whose look you want changed. A dentist who suggests a crown for a healthy front tooth, or a veneer for a broken one, is fitting the wrong thing.
Why do some dentists advise against veneers?
Because a veneer means removing a thin layer of enamel that does not grow back, so the tooth will always need covering. For a small change that is a poor trade, and bonding does the job without it. For a large, lasting change to healthy front teeth, veneers are the right tool. The advice against them is really advice against using them where they are not needed.
How long do crowns and bridges last?
Ten years is the usual figure and many last far longer. What ends them is decay creeping under the edge or a crack in the tooth beneath, both of which check-ups catch early. Porcelain veneers last ten to fifteen years.
Does it hurt?
The preparation is done under local anaesthetic, so no. The tooth can be tender to cold for a few days afterwards, and the temporary is there to protect it until the final is fitted.
How many visits?
Two for the work itself, the preparation and the fit, about two weeks apart while the laboratory makes the crown, bridge or veneers, plus the consultation beforehand. Veneer cases add the trial smile visit. A same-day crown or bridge is scanned, milled in the practice and fitted in one visit, with no temporary; it costs a little more, as the premium option.
Bridge or implant for my gap?
If the teeth either side are healthy and untouched, an implant spares them and stands on its own, at £1,700 from. If they already need crowns, a bridge does two jobs at once. If bone or health rule an implant out, a bridge is the fixed answer. The implants page sets the whole comparison out.
Can I have a crown on the NHS?
Yes, at an NHS practice, as a Band 3 course of treatment, which is £332.10 in 2026. Our crown price starts at the same figure. Our NHS prices page sets the two side by side.
Where are you, and how do I book?
4 Manor Square, Solihull, B91 3PX, just off the High Street, with free parking for patients. Book online, call 0121 709 3821, or message us on WhatsApp.
Read before you decide
The questions behind the price, answered.
Rebuilt to last, priced first.
A scan, the honest sorting between crown, bridge and veneer, and the figure in writing before the tooth is touched. Crowns from £332.10.
4 Manor Square, Solihull B91 3PX · [email protected]
