Crowns, bridges and dentures · The Dental Barn, Balsall Common
Rebuilt or replaced, at the band figure.
A crown from £332.10, a bridge from £400 a unit, a denture from £332.10 a jaw: the NHS Band 3 figure, for private work made to a scan in a UK laboratory. Which one your mouth needs is decided at the examination, and the price for it is written down before anything starts.
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In short
Which is which.
A crown is a cap over a whole tooth, for a tooth too broken or weak to hold a filling. A bridge is a false tooth carried by crowns on the teeth either side, for a gap. A denture is a removable plate carrying one tooth or many, for gaps where a bridge or an implant is not the answer. All three are made in a laboratory to a scan of your mouth, and all three are priced here from the NHS Band 3 figure.
Which does your mouth need?
The honest sorting.
People arrive asking for one and often leave with another, because each does a different job. Here is the sorting your dentist does at the examination, 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-treated 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. Small chips and short edges are bonding, not a crown.
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.
A denture, when
- Several teeth are missing, or all of them, in one jaw.
- The lowest cost now matters most, or the mouth needs time to heal after extractions before anything fixed is made.
- A partial denture fills one or more gaps while leaving the other teeth untouched.
- Not when you want something that never comes out; that is a bridge, or implants, which can also hold a denture firm.
How it runs
Two visits for a crown or bridge, three or four for a denture.
- 1
The examination
The tooth or the gap examined and x-rayed, the options set out, and the price for each written down.
- 2
Preparation and scan
For a crown or bridge the tooth is shaped under local anaesthetic and a temporary fitted; for a denture the mouth is scanned or impressions taken. The scan goes to the laboratory.
- 3
The try-in
A denture is tried in wax first, so the shade, the shape and the bite can be changed before it is finished. A crown or bridge goes straight to the fit.
- 4
The fit
The crown or bridge is checked for fit and bite, then cemented; the denture is fitted and adjusted where it presses.
- 5
Settling in
A new denture is adjusted once or twice in the first weeks as your mouth gets used to it. Crowns and bridges are simply cleaned and checked at your check-ups.
What it is like
Numb for the shaping, a temporary for a fortnight.
Shaping a tooth for a crown or bridge 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 while the laboratory makes the final piece, usually about two weeks, and you eat carefully on that side until the fit.
A new denture takes longer to feel normal than people expect: a week or two of a full mouth, extra saliva and careful chewing, then it becomes ordinary. Sore spots in the first weeks are common and are adjusted in a few minutes; you do not put up with them. Crowns and bridges commonly last ten years and often much longer; a denture is relined or remade as the gum beneath it slowly changes shape.
Dentures
Acrylic or chrome, full or partial, priced per jaw.
An acrylic denture, full or partial, upper or lower, is from £332.10 a jaw, the NHS Band 3 figure. A cobalt chrome denture, with a thin cast-metal frame that is slimmer and holds more firmly, is from £950 a jaw. After extractions an immediate denture can be fitted the same day, then relined or remade once the gum has settled over the following months. A simple repair is £76.60, a complex one £150, and a tooth added to an existing denture from £90.
What it costs
The NHS band figure, for private work.
On the NHS a crown, a bridge or a denture is a Band 3 course of treatment. The Barn starts each of the three at that same figure and prices everything else in the fee guide in the open. What you get for it is private: porcelain made to a scan rather than an impression, white fillings as standard, the try-in on a denture, and the appointment when you need it. If you are entitled to free NHS treatment, an NHS practice will cost you less, and we say so.
NHS figures are England’s band charges as nhs.uk publishes them; ours are from The Dental Barn fee guide, September 2026.
For a gap
Bridge, denture or implant, set side by side.
Three ways to fill a gap, each with a different price now and a different ten years. The examination puts them against your own mouth; here is the honest table.
| 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 ruled out |
| 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, healing gums, or the lowest cost now |
| 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 |
Implants can also hold a loose lower denture firm, which is often the answer for a full denture that will not stay put. The implants page has the whole comparison and the free consultation.
Who does it
Four dentists, one laboratory.
Dr William Tarn-Chapman · Dr Sarah Lynn · Dr Amelia Reed · Dr Aadam Binamin, GDC 265535Crowns, bridges and dentures here are made to a scan by the practice’s own dentists: Dr William Tarn-Chapman, whose restorative dentistry and digital workflows were honed in private practice in Newcastle, Australia, and who says fillings are the work he most enjoys; Dr Sarah Lynn and Dr Amelia Reed, both with further qualifications in restorative dentistry; and Dr Aadam Binamin, the practice’s principal dentist, on the 3D scanners. All are on the General Dental Council register.
Meet the teamQuestions
Asked before people book.
How much does a crown cost?
From £332.10 at The Dental Barn, which is the NHS Band 3 charge to the penny. The figure rises with the tooth and the material, and is written down before the tooth is touched. If the tooth needs a root canal first, that is priced separately, from £350.
How much is a dental bridge?
From £400 a unit. A bridge replacing one tooth is usually three units, a crown on each neighbour and the false tooth between, so your dentist counts the units for your gap and gives you the total in writing at the examination.
How much do dentures cost?
An acrylic denture, full or partial, is from £332.10 a jaw, the NHS Band 3 figure; a cobalt chrome denture from £950 a jaw. A full set is an upper and a lower, each priced per jaw. Repairs are £76.60 or £150, and a tooth added to an existing denture from £90.
What is the cheapest option for false teeth?
An acrylic denture, at £332.10 a jaw here or the same Band 3 charge on the NHS. It is also the quickest. Chrome costs more and is slimmer and firmer; a bridge or an implant costs more again and never comes out.
Do pensioners have to pay for dentures?
In England, age alone does not exempt you from NHS dental charges; certain benefits and Pension Credit Guarantee Credit do. If you are exempt, an NHS denture costs you nothing and an NHS practice is the right place. Here dentures are private, priced from the Band 3 figure.
How long do I have to wait for dentures after teeth are taken out?
You need not wait at all: an immediate denture, made before the extractions, is fitted the same day, so you are never without teeth. The gum shrinks as it heals over the following months, so the immediate denture is relined, or a final one made, once it has settled.
Are private dentures better than NHS ones?
The difference is time and choice rather than a different kind of denture: the try-in in wax, the choice of tooth shape and shade, chrome where it suits, and the adjustments when you need them. If you are entitled to free NHS treatment, the NHS route is cheaper and we say so.
Does having a crown or bridge hurt?
The shaping is done under local anaesthetic, so you feel pressure and vibration, not pain. The prepared tooth can be tender to cold for a few days while the temporary is on, and a new bridge takes a week to feel ordinary. Sedation is available for anyone who dreads it, at £350 a session.
How long do crowns, bridges and dentures last?
Crowns and bridges commonly last ten years and often much longer; what shortens them is what damages teeth: grinding, biting hard things, gums left uncleaned around the edges. A denture lasts years but is relined or remade as the gum beneath it changes shape.
What disqualifies you from dentures?
Very little. Gum disease is treated first so the denture sits on healthy gums, and a lower jaw that has shrunk over the years may hold a full denture poorly, which is where two implants to clip it onto make the difference. The examination tells you where you stand.
Where are you, and how do I book?
The Barn, 4 Fernhill Court, Balsall Street East, Balsall Common, CV7 7FR. Book online, call 01676 611000, or message us on WhatsApp. The first visit is the new-patient examination at £27.90.
Read before you decide
The questions behind the price, answered.
Rebuilt to last, at the band figure.
Crowns from £332.10, bridges from £400 a unit, dentures from £332.10 a jaw, and the price for your own mouth in writing first.
Fernhill Court, 4 Balsall Street East, Balsall Common CV7 7FR · [email protected]
Contact Us
Fernhill Court
4 Balsall Street East
Balsall Common
CV7 7FR
