Dental crowns are often used to help cover dental issues, such as cracked teeth, gaps, crooked teeth and discolouration. In the past, getting dental crowns used to be a rather tedious and complicated process with an average waiting time of 2 weeks. Today, thanks to CEREC technology, you can get same day crowns or CEREC crowns, which basically means your dental crowns are designed and fitted on the same day.
Same day crowns use CEREC technology, which allows the dentist to create your crowns at a much-accelerated rate compared to traditional dental crowns. Albeit fast, dental crowns created with the help of CEREC are more accurate and personalised as the technology takes into consideration factors like your bite and how the crown fits into your neighbouring teeth.
Here’s how it works:
A same day crown, as its name suggests, allows you to get your crown fitted in a single appointment. This is all possible thanks to the CEREC machine. Generally, the whole process takes about 2 hours.
Traditional dental crowns, on the other hand, require more preparation and time. When a patient chooses traditional crowns, temporary crowns are put in place to protect your teeth until the lab finishes creating the crown. This can take about 2-3 weeks. In addition, temporary crowns can be rather uncomfortable and tend to shift a little in your mouth. Since they are not shaped according to your mouth and teeth, they also tend to not fit properly and can actually cause food debris to get stuck underneath, increasing the likelihood of tooth decay.
Same day CEREC crowns are made exclusively from ceramic, while traditional crowns can be made from several materials, such as metal and porcelain-fused-to-metal. Some may argue that for this reason, traditional dental crowns are still stronger. Ceramic crowns have proven to be extremely strong as well! Studies have shown that with proper maintenance and care, ceramic crowns from CEREC have the potential to last equally long as traditional crowns and may last even longer.
Besides, materials like metal and porcelain-fused-to-metal are unfortunately not as aesthetically pleasing as ceramic. As such, they might not be ideal if you are looking to get crowns on your front teeth.
Same day crowns or CEREC crowns are extremely aesthetically pleasing and natural-looking. If done by an experienced dentist with a good eye for detail, CEREC crowns can look as good or even better than traditional crowns. At Dental Designs, we have our own in-house lab to ensure full quality control and inspection. Therefore, this matches the standard and quality of a traditional crown made by an expert from an external dental laboratory.
So yes, it is possible to get a dental crown in a day without compromising on quality. If you’re interested in understanding more about dental crowns first, our article on how dental crowns work may help. Otherwise, don’t be afraid to reach out and our friendly dentists are more than happy to help!
