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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.
How do Same Day Crowns work?
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:
- After examining your teeth and gums, your dentist will confirm a crown will help with your condition. At Dental Designs, we take photos of your teeth and ensure all alternative options have been considered since dental crowns are usually irreversible.
- To prepare the crown and allow it to fit well, we would need to remove a layer of enamel from your tooth.
- Instead of traditional dental moulds which can be extremely uncomfortable, we then use a 3D CEREC scanner to create a 3D model of your teeth. The images are then loaded onto a program which allows us to start creating your crown immediately.
- Next, the CEREC machine creates your crown using strong, durable ceramic that’s matched to the colour, shape and size of your neighbouring teeth.
- At this stage, the crown is ready to be bonded onto your tooth; but we add in quick final artistic touches to ensure your crown looks like a real tooth.
- After decontaminating your crown in a furnace, we proceed to place it onto your tooth.
How are Same Day Crowns different from traditional dental crowns?
Time and convenience
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.
Strength, material and aesthetics
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.
Attention to detail
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 with Dental Crowns!
References
- Memari, Y., Mohajerfar, M., Armin, A., Kamalian, F., Rezayani, V., & Beyabanaki, E. (2019). Marginal Adaptation of CAD/CAM All-Ceramic Crowns Made by Different Impression Methods: A Literature Review. Journal of prosthodontics : official journal of the American College of Prosthodontists, 28(2), e536–e544. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.12800
- Ahrberg, D., Lauer, H. C., Ahrberg, M., & Weigl, P. (2016). Evaluation of fit and efficiency of CAD/CAM fabricated all-ceramic restorations based on direct and indirect digitalization: a double-blinded, randomized clinical trial. Clinical oral investigations, 20(2), 291–300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-015-1504-6