Crowns Without the Wait? Here's How. - Health - Dental Care

Crowns are an essential restoration to protect a natural tooth when damage is present or is foreseen in the near future. Crowns are necessary when teeth have large fillings with fracture lines present on the tooth. This can result in broken cusps in which the outcome may be that the tooth needs to be extracted depending on the severity. A crown is also indicated following root canal therapy, if it has severe decay, or when a tooth is temperature (cold) or biting sensitive. A crown completely covers the tooth and protects it from future breakdown.

Conventional crown methods require two appointments in which the patient leaves with a temporary restoration known as a provisional. During first the appointment the dentist prepares the tooth for the crown and takes an impression with a viscous material that duplicates the crown preparation. Following this, the temporary crown is made from an initial impression that was taken at the beginning of the appointment. This temporary crown is adjusted and fitted to your bite and worn during the time the permanent crown is being fabricated. At the second appointment, which is typically two weeks later, the crown returns from the lab and is adjusted to fit the surrounding teeth. Although a conventional crown appointment is a good option for restoring teeth, the busy schedules of today sometimes do not allow the time needed for two appointments.

A CEREC (CEramic REConstruction) crown is completed in a single visit using 3D image technology. Due to this, there is no need for a temporary crown or a second visit to the dental office. It is an all-porcelain restoration that is made from similar dental materials of a conventional porcelain crown. After the tooth is prepared, a digital scan is completed using an intraoral camera connected to a computer. After this digital blueprint has been created, the doctor designs the crown by adding grooves and contours and also ensures that it fits well with your bite. Following the design process, a custom shade is chosen, and the information on the computer is transferred to a milling unit. In a matter of minutes, the milling unit is able to transform a solid cube of porcelain into a custom fit crown for your mouth. After the crown has been milled the dentist will re-verify that your bite and flossing contacts are ideal. After any necessary adjustments have been made the dentist can now optimize esthetics by adding any needed custom stains and by glazing the crown. The crown is now baked in an oven and the completed product is an esthetically pleasing crown custom designed for your mouth.