Dental prosthetics restore the shape, function and appearance of a broken-down tooth, and replace teeth that have already been lost. Unlike a filling, which the dentist shapes directly in the mouth, a prosthesis is made in the laboratory from an individual record of your arch.
At Corona Dental the treatment is led by a prosthodontist and the restoration is built by a dental technician on staff, in the laboratory inside the clinic. We work in zirconia and E-max ceramic; we do not make porcelain-fused-to-metal.
Appointments run in English, Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian. The clinic occupies street-level premises in the Esquerra de l'Eixample, beside Rocafort station.
0days waiting
on an outside lab
9000+patients
treated
65%come by
referral
What dental prosthetics are
A dental prosthesis is a custom-made restoration that replaces the missing part of a tooth, or the whole tooth. The line between a filling and prosthetics is drawn by how much structure is gone: while the remaining walls can hold the material, there is no need to protheticise.
| Condition of the tooth |
Solution |
Reason |
| Up to a third of the crown destroyed |
Filling |
The remaining walls hold the material safely |
| Between a third and a half |
Ceramic inlay |
A filling that size shrinks on curing and chips at the margin |
| More than half, root sound |
Crown |
The load is carried by the restoration, not by thinned walls |
| Tooth gone, no root left |
Bridge, implant or denture |
A new support is needed in place of the lost one |
Dental prosthetics can be supported by the patient's own root, by the adjacent teeth, by a titanium implant or by the mucosa. That choice governs both the lifespan and the price of the treatment.
When a dental prosthesis is needed
Dental prosthetics are indicated both when the tooth is still in place but can no longer take chewing load, and when the tooth has been lost altogether. The situations we see most often:
More than half the tooth destroyedA filling will not hold the chewing load — an inlay or crown is indicated
Root-treated toothWithout the pulp the tissue turns brittle, and a crown protects it from splitting
Chips, cracks and wearVeneers and crowns restore the shape and height of the teeth
One to three teeth missing in a rowA bridge on abutment teeth, or a crown on an implant
Partial tooth lossA partial denture, a chrome-cobalt framework or a restoration on implants
Complete tooth lossA full denture, or a fixed arch on four or six implants
The longer the gap stays open, the more it costs to close. The opposing tooth begins to over-erupt because it has nothing to meet, and the neighbouring teeth tilt into the space. A year or two later, that same crown already calls for orthodontic preparation first.
A case of its own: severe wear and bruxism. Fitting a restoration without a night guard makes little sense — the new structure will fail exactly as the natural teeth wore down. The cause is brought under control first, and only then is the prosthesis made.
Types of dental prosthetics
Restorations are grouped by how they are held in place. Within each group, the choice depends on how many teeth are missing and whether the roots have survived.
- Fixed prosthetics: crowns and bridges
A crown seats over the surviving root and takes on the chewing function entirely — this is how a tooth whose walls no longer hold a filling is brought back. A bridge rests on two adjacent teeth and spans the gap between them.
It feels like a natural tooth and is not removed. The price of that solution is the preparation of the abutment teeth, even when they are healthy.
- Implant-supported prosthetics
The support is a titanium root placed in the jaw, so the neighbouring teeth are left untouched. The bone in that area keeps receiving load and does not resorb, which is not the case under a bridge or a denture.
We fit original abutments from the implant system itself: the connection is precisely where loosening appears when generic components are used. About implants →
- Partial dentures
These rest on the remaining teeth and on the mucosa at the same time, replacing the missing sections of the arch. The patient takes them out for cleaning.
They avoid surgery and solve cases where implants are contraindicated. In return they need periodic relining: the bone underneath continues to resorb.
- Full dentures
These cover the whole arch and are held by close contact with the palate or the alveolar ridge.
The most affordable way to regain chewing with no teeth left. They fall behind implant-supported solutions in stability, particularly in the lower jaw.
- Minimal prosthetics: veneers and inlays
Only the damaged area is treated rather than the entire tooth. An inlay is made in the laboratory for one specific cavity and bonded into it; a veneer covers the front surface of the anterior teeth.
Less living tissue is removed than under a crown. This works while the walls still hold their strength.
How the restoration is chosen
| Situation |
What we propose |
Why |
| Tooth broken down, root sound |
Inlay or crown |
The patient's own root serves as the abutment |
| Chip or discolouration at the front |
Veneer |
Only the front surface is prepared |
| One tooth missing, neighbours sound |
Crown on an implant |
Healthy teeth are not prepared to serve as abutments |
| One tooth missing, neighbours already crowned |
Bridge |
Those abutments need covering in any case |
| Several teeth missing, little bone |
Framework or partial denture |
Avoids bone grafting and surgery |
| No teeth left |
All-on-4 or full denture |
The decision sits between stability and budget |
The prosthodontist makes the call after imaging, assessing the available bone, the state of the remaining teeth, the occlusion and the vertical dimension. We set out the advantages and drawbacks of each route rather than steering towards one.
Materials and lifespan
The dental prosthetics we make use four materials. Porcelain-fused-to-metal is not among them: its metal core eventually shows as a dark line along the gum margin, especially once the gum recedes slightly with age.
ZirconiaAll-round
Used forCrowns, bridges
Lifespan15+ years
Warranty2 years
E-maxAesthetic
Used forVeneers, crowns
Lifespanup to 20 years
Warranty2 years
CompositeConservative
Used forVeneers
Lifespan5–7 years
Warranty2 years
Acrylic and nylonRemovable
Used forDentures
Lifespan3–5 years
Warrantyper Spanish law
Lifespan and warranty are not the same thing. The first is a statistic under normal use: daily hygiene, six-monthly reviews and a night guard where there is bruxism. The clinic's warranty is shorter and covers manufacturing defects, not wear.
The technician's view
What actually determines how long a crown lasts
Patients ask about the material, but the outcome is settled by three things that no material specification covers:
- Marginal fit. A gap of hundredths of a millimetre between crown and tooth is invisible, and yet that is where plaque gets in. From there come the gum inflammation and the darkened margin the patient notices two years on.
- Occlusion. If the restoration sits even slightly high, the whole chewing load lands on it. Ceramic does not tolerate that for long.
- Shade under different light. A tone chosen under the surgery lamp can read differently outdoors. It has to be checked by the window and in shade, not against a number written on the chart.
I check all three myself at the try-in, while the restoration is still uncemented. When the work goes to an outside laboratory, the clinician passes the notes on in writing and every correction opens another round of deliveries.
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Dental technician
Co-founder of the clinic
Head of the laboratory
In-house laboratory
Restorations are built by a technician on staff, in the laboratory inside the clinic. In prosthetics that changes more than it might seem:
| Stage |
At Corona Dental |
With an outside laboratory |
| Shade taking |
The technician sees the patient in daylight |
The shade travels as a number from a guide |
| Shape correction |
On the spot, in the same visit |
Another round of deliveries |
| Try-in |
The technician attends and adjusts |
The clinician relays notes in writing |
| Responsibility |
Entirely with the clinic |
Split between clinic and supplier |
The record is taken with a 3Shape TRIOS intraoral scanner, with no silicone putty in the mouth. The digital model is accurate to 10 microns and reaches the laboratory in minutes rather than the next day.
Aesthetic planning
In the front of the mouth the aesthetic result carries as much weight as the functional one: dental prosthetics there must not merely fit, they must go unnoticed. Shape and shade are therefore planned before anything is made, rather than improvised at the try-in.
- Smile line. We check how much tooth and how much gum show when you smile, and where the lip sits at rest.
- Proportion between teeth. The central incisors set the reference; everything else is sized in relation to them rather than made exactly symmetrical.
- Phonetics. Saying certain sounds places the incisal edge in a specific position against the lower lip, and that fixes the correct length.
- Gingival contour. The gum height around each tooth should follow an even line, with no steps between neighbours.
- Texture and translucency. A natural tooth is not uniform: it has surface micro-relief and a more transparent edge. Reproducing that is what separates an aesthetic restoration that works from one that shows when you speak.
Where the work covers several teeth in the visible zone, the result is planned in advance with Digital Smile Design, so you see the proposal before any preparation begins.
Contraindications
Absolute contraindications to dental prosthetics are few: almost every limitation is resolved by a preparatory stage. The clinician identifies them at the consultation from the imaging and your medical history.
To be treated before the prosthesis
- decay, pulpitis and periodontitis in the teeth that will serve as abutments;
- gingivitis and periodontal disease: a restoration will not hold on mobile teeth;
- tartar and plaque, which must not be left under a crown;
- untreated bruxism without a night guard;
- a bite problem that calls for orthodontic preparation.
Limiting the choice of restoration
- material allergy: steers the decision between ceramic, composite and nylon;
- insufficient bone volume: rules out an implant as an abutment without grafting first;
- decompensated systemic disease: postpones any surgical stage;
- pregnancy: elective prosthetic work is deferred until after the birth.
Dental prosthetics prices in Barcelona
| Treatment |
Price |
| E-max ceramic crown or veneer |
from €600 per unit |
| Crown on an Odontit implant — implant included |
from €1,200 |
| Crown on a Straumann, Nobel Biocare or Sweden & Martina implant |
up to €1,800 |
| All-on-4 — fixed full arch on four implants |
from €4,800 |
| First visit: examination, photographic record and prosthetic plan |
€50 |
| 3D CT scan |
€80–150 |
| Dentures, frameworks and inlays |
after examination |
How this compares across Barcelona
| Treatment |
At Corona Dental |
Barcelona range |
| Single crown |
from €600 |
€350 – 900 |
| Denture, partial or full |
after examination |
€300 – 1,500 |
| Implant with crown, complete |
€1,200 – 1,800 |
€1,500 – 2,200 |
| All-on-4, fixed full arch |
from €4,800 |
€8,500 – 12,000 |
The right-hand column gives indicative ranges across Barcelona clinics for 2026. Our single crown sits mid-range because the figure is not for the ceramic alone: it covers the digital record, the try-in, the occlusal adjustment and cementation, and the work comes out of our own laboratory in E-max rather than porcelain-fused-to-metal. On full-arch work the gap runs the other way, and it is substantial.
When comparing quotes, ask about the material and about what the figure covers. The cheapest crown prices on the market are usually porcelain-fused-to-metal and often exclude the try-in and fitting. With a bridge, check the number of units as well: advertising quotes the price of one, and a three-unit bridge costs three times that.
The final amount depends on the number of units, the material and whether preparatory stages are needed. It is set out in writing in the quote before work begins. Full clinic price list.
Treatment step by step
| 1 |
Consultation30–60 minutes |
Examination and assessment of the occlusion, the remaining teeth and the gums. The prosthodontist sets out the possible restorations with their lifespan and cost. |
| 2 |
Imagingresult in 5 minutes |
Panoramic X-ray or CT scan in our own room: the state of the roots, bone volume and hidden lesions under old crowns. |
| 3 |
Quote and planbefore work starts |
You receive a breakdown by unit: how many teeth are included, in which material, and what each stage costs. Nothing is prepared until that document is signed. |
| 4 |
Preparing the mouthseparate visit |
Professional cleaning, treatment of decay and gums, root canal work on abutments where needed. A prosthesis is only seated on a sound foundation. |
| 5 |
Preparing the abutments1 visit |
The tooth is given the shape the restoration will sit on, or an implant is placed. The record is taken with the TRIOS scanner and a temporary is fitted. |
| 6 |
Fabricationin the clinic laboratory |
The technician builds the restoration on the digital record and matches the shade with the patient present, not from a number on a guide. |
| 7 |
Try-in1–2 visits |
Marginal fit, shade, shape and contact with the opposing arch are all checked. Corrections are made before final cementation. |
| 8 |
Fitting1 visit |
The restoration is cemented or screwed into place. The clinician explains the hygiene routine and books the review. |
| 9 |
Reviewsevery six months |
The margin seal, the gum tissue and wear on the biting surface are all checked. Without these visits the cover lapses. |
How many visits it takes
With the mouth already sound, dental prosthetics on your own teeth are completed in two to three weeks: preparing the abutments, fabrication, try-in and fitting. If cleaning, root canal work or periodontal treatment is needed first, the timeline grows by those stages.
This matters if you are travelling to Barcelona for treatment. Crown and veneer work on natural teeth can usually be finished within a single stay of two to three weeks, because nothing has to heal in between. Implant-supported work cannot: osseointegration takes months and will not be hurried, so it means at least two trips. We tell you at the first consultation which category your case falls into, before you book flights.
Warranty
What is covered
Crowns, bridges and veneers made in our laboratory carry two years against fracture, debonding and chipping under normal chewing load. Removable work is guaranteed in line with Spanish law; the term depends on the type and is stated in the quote.
What it does not cover
Ordinary wear. A composite veneer loses gloss over the years, and a denture needs relining because the bone supporting it resorbs. These are not manufacturing defects but material behaviour and physiology, and they fall outside the warranty.
| Situation |
Why the warranty lapses |
| Grinding without a night guard |
Clenching at night splits ceramic along its weakest line |
| Poor hygiene |
Gum inflammation leaves the crown margin exposed |
| Missed reviews |
Marginal fit is checked every six months |
| Trauma |
Mechanical damage to the restoration |
| Adjustments at another surgery |
Re-preparation or re-polishing elsewhere alters the original fit |
If the restoration fails
Prosthetic failures take three forms, and each is handled differently. A crown that has debonded can usually go back the same day, provided the core beneath it is intact. A chip in the ceramic is polished and refined in the mouth when it sits at the edge, and means remaking the unit when it undermines the structure. A denture that no longer seats needs relining, not replacement.
Come in without waiting for the scheduled review: the earlier it is seen, the more repair options remain open. If the case is under warranty, the work is remade in our own laboratory rather than on an outside supplier's timetable.
Care and lifespan
How long dental prosthetics last is governed less by the material than by what happens around them.
- Crown margin. The main risk is gum inflammation where the two meet. Clean not only the surface but the line against the gum, with an irrigator or interdental brush.
- Bridge. Plaque collects under the pontic where a brush cannot reach — that is what threader floss is for.
- Denture. Take it out and rinse after meals, and keep it in a proper solution overnight. Every one to two years it needs relining, as the supporting bone loses height.
- Veneers. Do not open packaging with them or bite hard objects. Composite ones also stain from coffee and red wine.
Patients coming from abroad
A restoration made in another country. We maintain and repair work fitted elsewhere: relining dentures, recementing crowns that have come loose and remaking those that have fractured. For implant-supported work, bring the implant passport with the system reference; without it the compatible abutment is identified from an X-ray, which adds a visit.
Treatment left half-finished. Patients often arrive with teeth already prepared and a temporary fitted by another clinic. We can pick up from there, but a temporary worn for months irritates the gum and alters its contour — the sooner the case is closed, the more predictable the margin of the definitive crown.
Payment terms, the VAT exemption and accepted methods are the same across every treatment at the clinic and are set out on the price list.
When this clinic is not the right fit
- if you want porcelain-fused-to-metal because it is the cheapest option: we do not make it;
- if you are looking for an overdenture on attachments or a cast bar: we refer those cases to specialist centres;
- if you need the restoration finished in one visit: we do not mill chairside, and the laboratory stage is never skipped.
Frequently asked questions
Does preparing a tooth for a crown hurt?
Preparation is done under local anaesthetic and is not painful during the procedure. We use computer-controlled delivery, so the injection itself is barely felt. If the tooth is vital, some sensitivity to cold is possible in the first days, and it settles once the definitive restoration is cemented.
Why do you not offer porcelain-fused-to-metal?
Because its metal core eventually shows as a dark line beside the gum, especially once the gum recedes slightly with age. Zirconia and E-max do not have that drawback and give nothing away in strength, so we work only with them.
Bridge or implant — which is better?
If the neighbouring teeth are sound and untouched, an implant is preferable: it does not require preparing them and it preserves the bone under the gap. If those teeth are already broken down or crowned, a bridge makes more sense, because the abutments need covering anyway. The decision is made with the imaging in front of us.
How long does a crown last?
Zirconia, upwards of fifteen years; E-max, up to twenty under normal use. In practice the figure depends on hygiene, on keeping to reviews and on whether there is bruxism. What usually gives way first is not the crown itself but the gum around it, when the margin is not looked after.
Can a crown be fitted in a single visit?
No. Fabrication and a try-in sit between the preparation and the definitive cementation — normally two or three visits. Having our own laboratory shortens the wait, because the work does not join a supplier's queue, but the fabrication stage cannot be skipped.
My old denture rubs — what should I do?
Come in and let us look at it. Over time a denture stops seating because the bone beneath it resorbs, and a reline is usually all that is needed. If we did not make the restoration, we will still assess it and tell you whether it can be adjusted or whether a new one makes more sense.
Do the teeth have to be treated first?
Yes, and this is not an add-on sale. A crown stays on the tooth for years: if decay or an untreated canal is left underneath, the infection advances silently and the restoration has to come off to reach it. Preparing the mouth is a condition of both the result and the warranty.
Can you quote a price over the phone?
We can give the starting point: €600 per unit in ceramic. What cannot be settled by phone is how many units your case needs, which material suits it and whether the abutments will hold as they are. Those three variables are what move the final figure, and none of them is visible without examining the mouth.
Where our patients come from
Our dental clinic in Barcelona is at c/Entença, 69, in the Esquerra de l'Eixample, two minutes from Rocafort station on the red L1 line. From Plaça Espanya or Sants Estació the journey is around ten minutes; from Plaça Catalunya, about twenty.
| From |
Getting here |
| Eixample, Sant Antoni, Poble-sec |
On foot or one metro stop |
| Sants, Les Corts, Hostafrancs |
L1 or L5, 10 to 15 minutes |
| Gràcia, Sarrià, Sant Gervasi |
L3 with a change, around 25 minutes |
| Poblenou, Sant Martí, Gòtic |
L1, no changes |
Prosthetic work means several spaced visits, so we also see patients from across the metropolitan area: L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Cornellà, Esplugues, Sant Just Desvern, Badalona, Santa Coloma, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Castelldefels, Sitges, Mataró, Terrassa and Sabadell. From most of these the journey runs from twenty minutes to an hour by Rodalies train or metro.
If your journey takes more than an hour, say so at the consultation. Some stages can be grouped into one visit — the record and the professional cleaning, for instance. What can be combined depends on the restoration: the try-in and the final fitting cannot.
Before and after
Photographs of dental prosthetics carried out at the clinic: the starting situation, the restoration chosen and the result after fitting.
Book an assessment
Tell us which teeth are missing or damaged and attach an X-ray if you have one: we will say which restoration fits, in what material and over how many visits.
Message us on WhatsApp c/Entença, 69, Barcelona · Rocafort metro (L1) · Monday to Thursday 10:00–19:00, Friday 9:00–18:00
Every prosthetic rehabilitation requires prior assessment by a dentist and has clinical limitations. The figures published here are for reference and are not contractual: the applicable amount is the one in your signed quote.
