A dental crown solves several dental problems, including damaged teeth and permanent discoloration. Conventional crowns are always at least a two-visit process. You visit your dentist to have an impression of your teeth made. At this visit, they do any dental work, like a root canal, and prepare the tooth to receive the crown. The dentist then places a temporary crown.
A dental lab uses your impression to craft your permanent restoration, so when it’s ready — several weeks later — you return to your dentist for it to be cemented into your smile.
At Advanced Care Dentistry in Woodinville, Washington, Thomas O. Marxen, DDS, MSD, and Andrew Keith, DDS, offer an alternative to this long, inconvenient process of getting conventional dental crowns. We produce CEREC same-day crowns in-office, and they are available for permanent placement when you need them. You skip the hassle of multiple appointments and temporary restorations.
Here’s what to know about CEREC crowns and how they compare with the conventional versions.
To manufacture a CEREC crown, we use an intraoral camera and a computer-aided design to create a 3D image of your tooth.
This information transmits to a CEREC machine in our office to manufacture your crown. When the crown is ready, your dentist prepares your tooth and bonds it into your smile, so you leave with a complete smile. The process takes just an hour.
One of the biggest pros of a same-day crown is convenience. In one short visit, we create your restoration and place it. CEREC same-day crowns also mean less pain. Because you visit the office once, you’ll have fewer numbing injections and work done on your tooth, leading to soreness for several days.
Same-day crowns create impressions using a digital scanner, so you don’t have to worry about biting into messy foam or putty. We place your crown quickly and expediently. When you sit with a temporary crown for several weeks, you’re more vulnerable to bacteria entering the tooth because temporary crowns just don’t fit as well as your permanent version.
Compared with conventional crowns, CEREC same-day crowns are more vulnerable to wear-and-tear. They are less strong because they’re made of ceramic rather than porcelain.
Some patients may not be good candidates for same-day crowns because the intraoral scanner just can’t get a good enough image. For example, if you have a fracture in your tooth under the gumline, the scanner may not get a good picture of your tooth to create the in-office crown.
While both crowns match your smile, conventional crowns look slightly more natural than CEREC crowns. Getting a customized shade that matches your smile can be hard. That being said, only you and your dentist will likely notice the shade variation.
If you need a dental crown, contact Advanced Care Dentistry to learn more about how you can save time and hassle with CEREC same-day crowns. Call the office or reach out via this website to schedule an appointment.
