Utilizing CEREC technology, we are able to offer crown preparation, design, and delivery all in one appointment. These same day crowns are made by capturing digital impressions of the underlying tooth and designing the crowns in the CEREC software. After the design process, the file is sent to our milling unit where it is manufactured though reverse 3-D printing.
How long does this process take?
Typically we spend a little over two hours from start to finish for your crown. This includes about 30 minutes of time where Dr. Bousaba is shaping the tooth to remove unhealthy tooth structure, about 60-90 minutes to design and make the crown, and another 30 minutes to cement the crown in place. As you can see, the majority of time for the patient during this appointment is set aside for actual fabrication of the crown.
Why would I need a crown or partial crown?
A crown (or cap) is needed when a tooth is weakened due to wear, erosion, fracture, and/or tooth decay. The weakened tooth is prepared by removing anywhere from 0.5 to 2mm of tooth structure to allow for an adequate thickness of the crown.
Due to adhesive advances in dentistry, we no longer need to obliterate the majority of the tooth to secure a crown in place. There are many teeth that would benefit from a crown, but still have a significant amount of healthy tooth structure available – in this situation, Dr. Bousaba may choose to create a partial crown to minimize the amount of natural tooth structure to be removed.
What are some advantages of same day crowns with CEREC?
- There are no dental impressions: CEREC takes thousands of photos of your teeth that are stitched together to create a digital 3-D model eliminating the gooey and slimy dental impressions of old.
- The patient is part of the experience: Since the crown is created on the computer by Dr. Bousaba, you will have a firsthand view of your crown being designed and fabricated.
- There is no temporary crown: Your permanent crown is fabricated within the same appointment so you will leave our office with your final, porcelain crown cemented in place.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can utilize the CEREC to improve your dental health.
