Crowns In A Day: A Convenient Option

Dental crowns are great for restoring your smile. They can improve the appearance of discolored or misshapen teeth, hold bridges in place, and protect weak or cracked teeth from further damage. If you’ve had a crown done before, you know that the entire process typically takes about 2 weeks from start to finish. But recent advances in technology have made it possible for a crown to be completed in one visit.

The new procedure has a number of advantages over the traditional crown process. Let’s look at a comparison.

Traditional Crowns vs. Crowns in a Day

Getting a crown has traditionally required two visits to the dentist’s office. On your first visit, the dentist takes an impression of your teeth. The impression is sent away to a lab that makes the permanent crown. The dentist also numbs your tooth, removes part of the tooth structure, and applies a temporary crown. About 2 weeks later, you come back for the dentist to install the permanent crown.

In contrast, the procedure for getting a “crown in a day” is faster and more streamlined. Hunt Valley Dental uses CEREC, an advanced system that utilizes Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAD/CAM) technology, to create crowns and other restorations. CEREC can design and fabricate high-quality restorations in as little as 20 minutes.

The procedure for preparing the tooth is the same as for traditional crowns. The CEREC system takes digital impressions of your teeth and bite. Your dentist uses these impressions to design the crown. Once the design is finalized, it’s sent to a milling machine that makes the crown. The material used to create the crown has similar properties to tooth enamel and can last for years.

Advantages of Getting a Crown in a Day

Getting your crown made in a day offers several advantages over the traditional crown-making process:

• The CEREC machine takes digital impressions, so you don’t have to hold a bulky mold tray in your mouth.
• You don’t have to wear a temporary crown. You need to be extra careful when eating or flossing with a temporary crown. It can fall off, requiring another visit to the dentist’s office for it to be reattached.
• You don’t have to find time in your schedule and make that second trip to the dentist’s office.
• Having only one visit means you don’t need to get multiple anesthetic injections.

If you’re in need of a crown or another dental restoration, contact Hunt Valley Dental today. We can schedule a consultation and discuss how CEREC-made crowns can benefit you