Dental crown Polarised light micrograph PLM of a longitudinal section through a tooth yellow blue with a dental crown grainy area The ceramic crown is attached to the tooth by a layer of cement dark brown If the top of a tooth is badly cracked decayed or broken it must be replaced by an artificial crown The remaining undamaged part of the tooth is cut down to a peg to receive the hollow crown This crown is then shaped to form a replica of the original tooth and cemented in place Magnification x at xcm size