Crowns and Bridges in Townsville and Bohle Plains

A crown covers a tooth completely and holds it together, which is what you need once there is not enough sound tooth left for a filling to be safe. At Kirwan and Bohle Plains that includes the teeth that have already been filled two or three times.

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When a Filling Stops Being the Answer

A filling replaces what is missing and leans on the tooth around it. That works until the walls get thin. Then each bite acts like a wedge, and eventually one of them splits the tooth, often below the gum, which is where a repairable problem becomes an extraction.

A crown does the opposite: it wraps over the top and squeezes the tooth together. That is the whole reason to move from one to the other, and it is the honest test we apply. Where a filling will still do the job, we do a filling.

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The Materials

We work in e.max, Zirconia, Gold and PFM, and the choice is not cosmetic preference, it is what the tooth is being asked to do.

• E.max. A pressed ceramic that handles light the way enamel does. The usual choice where the tooth shows.
• Zirconia. Very strong, which suits back teeth carrying heavy load, and it can be made thinner than you would expect.
• Gold. Unfashionable and still excellent. Kind to the tooth it bites against and extremely durable, where appearance is not the point.
• Porcelain fused to metal. A metal core for strength with porcelain over it.

Inlays and onlays sit between a filling and a crown, rebuilding part of the biting surface without covering the whole tooth. They are available at both clinics too.

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Two Visits, and a Temporary in Between

The tooth is prepared and recorded, usually with our digital scanners rather than a tray of impression material, and a temporary crown goes on while the laboratory makes the real one. At the second visit the fit, the bite and the colour are checked before it is cemented.

The temporary is not as strong as the finished crown, so avoid anything hard or sticky on that side. If it comes off, keep it and ring us: it goes back on, and leaving the prepared tooth uncovered is what causes sensitivity.

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Bridges

A bridge fills a gap by using the teeth either side as supports, with the replacement joined between them. It is fixed in place, which many people prefer to something removable.

The trade-off is real: those supporting teeth have to be prepared for crowns, so two healthy teeth get drawn into the problem. Where the neighbours are untouched, an implant usually leaves you better off, because it replaces the missing tooth without involving the ones that are fine. We will tell you which we think fits your case and why.

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What Actually Shortens Their Life

Two things, and both are manageable. Grinding, which is why we look at your bite first and may suggest a night guard: there is more on our jaw pain page. And decay starting at the margin where the crown meets the tooth, which is a cleaning and check-up matter rather than a crown matter. The crown itself does not decay. The tooth underneath it still can.

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Having It Done in Kirwan and Bohle Plains

Book at whichever clinic is closer to you. The Kirwan clinic is on Thuringowa Drive, near The Willows. The Bohle Plains clinic is inside the Kalynda Chase estate, in Townsville’s western growth corridor.

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Kirwan and Bohle Plains: What Is the Same, and What Differs

The two clinics make crowns the same way and offer the same choices, so which one you book is mostly a question of distance. What they share, and the few things that differ:

• At both clinics: crowns, bridges, inlays and onlays in e.max, Zirconia, Gold and PFM, two visits with a temporary in between, root canal treatment on site, cone beam CT imaging, intraoral cameras, on-site parking, and a periodontist who consults at both. Hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm.
• Kirwan: the tooth is recorded with a Trios 3 scanner.
• Bohle Plains: the tooth is recorded with a Medit i700 scanner.

Book both visits at the same clinic, so that the preparation, the temporary and the final fitting all happen in one place. The laboratory sets the timing between them, so ask for the likely gap when you book the first visit.

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When the Tooth Needs More Before a Crown

A root canal first. A tooth that has had root canal treatment is often crowned afterwards, because it can be more fragile once the inside of the tooth has been cleaned out. Root canal treatment is done in house at both clinics, including re-treating a root filling that has not held, so the treatment and the crown that protects it can be planned together.

A tooth broken down to the gum. A crown needs enough sound tooth above the gum to hold on to. Where a tooth has broken close to or below the gum line, crown lengthening, which reshapes the gum to expose more of the tooth, is available at both clinics. Cone beam CT imaging is on site at each, which helps when it is not clear how far a crack runs.

A tooth that cannot be saved. Sometimes the honest answer is that the tooth will not last. Then the conversation is about removing it and replacing it, and implants are done at both clinics.

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How the Material Gets Chosen

The same four materials are offered at both clinics, so nothing changes with the clinic you pick. What decides the material is the tooth:

• Where it sits. A tooth that shows when you smile is judged differently from a back molar that nobody sees.
• How you bite. Clenching or grinding puts more load on a crown, and that points towards the stronger materials.
• What it bites against. The opposing tooth wears against whatever sits on top of the crown, which is one reason gold is still used.
• How much tooth is left. A thin remaining tooth limits the room there is for the crown material.

Your dentist explains the recommendation and the alternatives at the examination, and intraoral cameras at both clinics let you see the tooth for yourself.

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Looking After It Once It Is On

Occlusal splints, the night guards for people who clench or grind, are available at both clinics, and it is worth raising grinding before a crown is made rather than after one has chipped. Regular check-ups include a look at the edge where the crown meets the tooth.

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Planning Around Your Health Fund

Major dental cover is where annual limits and waiting periods tend to apply, so it helps to check your policy before the examination. We are a preferred provider for nine health funds, listed on our health funds page, and we claim through HICAPS at both clinics. DVA card holders are seen at both clinics, and there is more on our page for veterans.

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Who We See Around Kirwan and Bohle Plains

Teeth that have already been filled once or twice are the usual candidates for a crown, whatever the suburb. What the local picture changes is the logistics: with two visits needed, it helps to book at whichever clinic is closer to home or work and to have both appointments there.

Bohle Plains is one of Townsville’s youngest suburbs: the median age is 28, against 38 across Queensland, and 48.5% of local families are couples with children. Defence is the largest employer of Bohle Plains residents, at 18.2%, and we see DVA card holders at both clinics.

Kirwan is one of Townsville’s largest suburbs, with 20,780 residents and a median age of 38, in line with the state. Together the two clinics serve the western side of Townsville.

Population figures: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats for Bohle Plains and Kirwan.

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What It Costs

The fee depends on the material and on what the tooth needs first, including root canal treatment where the nerve is involved. You get a written quote after the examination, before anything starts. Crowns usually sit under major dental in a health fund policy, and we claim through HICAPS at the desk. Payment plans are available. Both clinics also accept Queensland Health vouchers.