Gold Crown Replaced with Tooth-Colored Zirconia? Or a New Crown Because the Crown Fell Out? Near Gwanghwamun, City Hall Station, and Seoul Station Dental Clinic, with Prices!

Hello, this is Yonsei Yegam Dental Clinic at City Hall Station in Seoul.

We are located across from the Samsung Main Building on Line 1 and Line 2.

Chungjeongno, Seoul Station, Gwanghwamun, and Euljiro are all quite close, so it is a convenient location to visit.

One of the treatments commonly performed at dental clinics is

zirconia crowns.

Many people get zirconia crowns because they need a crown due to tooth decay, but

some also inquire about zirconia crowns because they want to replace a gold crown with a tooth-colored one,

or because an existing crown has fallen out and crown treatment is needed again.

Before and after zirconia crown on a molar

What is a zirconia crown?

Over the past 10 years, zirconia has been used as the crown material in most dental clinics rather than gold.

Unlike gold crowns, which are naturally gold-colored,

zirconia crowns are white like natural teeth, so they are less noticeable and are also durable. Also, with gold prices being truly high these days, they are cheaper than gold crowns.

Because they are also highly durable, there is no real need to choose a gold crown, so in most cases and at most dental clinics, zirconia crowns have become the standard when a crown is needed.

Celebrities are even less likely to have gold teeth, but as shown in the news photo above, Kian84’s gold tooth on the molar side is visible every time he smiles.

The article title was also “Kian84, the gold tooth in my heart.” It seems the reporter could see the gold tooth clearly too.

(Source: iMBC article)

PFM crowns that were used in the past

In the past, because people did not want gold teeth to show, PFM crowns, which are porcelain fused to metal, were used,

and as shown in the photos above, the porcelain could break

or the metal could show near the gums. However, zirconia crowns are more durable than the porcelain in PFM crowns,

and because they are entirely white, there is no such concern.

Zirconia crown treatment for a broken tooth / City Hall Station Dental Clinic

At our Yonsei Yegam Dental Clinic at City Hall Station, we use an intraoral scanner when making zirconia crowns.

In the case of zirconia crowns, compared with the old impression-taking method using rubber material,

making them with an intraoral scan is advantageous because the tooth shape inside the mouth is transmitted directly, which can reduce errors at each step such as taking an impression, pouring plaster into the impression, and then scanning that plaster again at the lab.

That is the biggest advantage, and since it causes less discomfort for the patient, we use intraoral scans.

Also, because this process is reduced, the production time is shortened as well. For zirconia crowns, it no longer takes up to a week like before, and at our clinic, it is possible to place the zirconia crown 4 days after the scan date (3 weekdays later if urgent),

so many foreign tourists even come specifically for crown treatment while traveling.

Of course, many dental clinics still use the old method of taking impressions with rubber because intraoral scanners are expensive, but we have been using intraoral scans since 2018!

A scene of using an intraoral scanner

And since many of you may also be curious about zirconia crown prices, here is the information.

In the case of crowns, a dentist’s diagnosis, the process of trimming the tooth that will receive the crown, scanning the tooth for the crown (or taking an impression if not scanning), and making a temporary tooth to use while the crown is being made are necessary,

so at most standard dental clinics, the price of a zirconia crown is usually around 500,000 to 600,000 KRW.

At Yonsei Yegam Dental Clinic, the price of a zirconia crown for a molar is 500,000 KRW as of 2025.

(A dentist’s examination is required first to determine whether zirconia crown treatment is possible, and the examination is covered by health insurance.)

For front teeth, even with the same zirconia material, more attention must be paid to aesthetics, and different materials may need to be added for better aesthetics, so as with most dental clinics, the cost of a front tooth crown is higher than that of a molar.

All treatments require an examination by the dentist who will perform the treatment beforehand, and if, in some case, a gold crown is diagnosed as more appropriate, treatment may proceed with a gold crown rather than a zirconia crown.

This has been a zirconia crown treatment introduction from Yonsei Yegam Dental Clinic at City Hall Station, which even welcomes visitors from overseas seeking beautiful and healthy teeth.