Same-Day Crowns Made with CEREC®
Making dental care as convenient and efficient as possible is an important part of what we do. Our Maple Ridge dentists offer same-day dental crowns to correct significant tooth damage in just one visit.
A dental crown is a tooth-shaped cap that restores a decayed, broken, weak or worn-down tooth. Dentists can also use crowns to cover dental implants and teeth that have had a root canal.
We know that damaged teeth can be an inconvenience, which is why, with CEREC® technology, we can create and place crowns same-day.
Crowns As Part of the Process to Replace Missing Teeth
If you are missing teeth, a dental crown may be able to be attached to a dental implant to restore the look and function of your smile. A dental implant provides a secure anchor for your new tooth replacement.
Benefits of Creating Dental Crowns with CEREC
There are a number of benefits that range from convenience to durability:
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Customizable to Your Unique Needs
We use digital dental impressions to take highly precise pictures of your teeth and gums. With this information, we’re able to create a tooth crown that looks and feels natural. Your same-day crown will fit better since we’re basing the design on highly accurate scans.
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Durability
A CEREC crown can last up to 15 years, as long as you maintain good oral health. This means that you’ll need to continue brushing teeth twice a day and flossing once daily. If we find a lot of plaque and tartar buildup during your next teeth cleaning appointment with us, we may recommend adding a fluoride mouthwash to your routine.
As long as you take care of your oral health, your same-day dental crown should last for years to come.
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Less Time in the Dentist’s Chair
We use CEREC to place your dental crown in one appointment. This is made possible by the CAD/CAM software on our computers that allow our dentists to design your new tooth crown right in front of your eyes. Once our dentists are ready with the design, they’ll send it to the milling machine in our office.
The milling machine is responsible for carving your tooth restoration from a block of ceramic or other tooth-colored material. We provide different shades of material so we can match your same-day dental crown to the rest of your smile.
We understand that our patients have busy lives, which is why we’re always looking for technology that shortens treatment time. Instead of waiting weeks for a new dental crown, you could be done in one appointment.
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Minimally Invasive
In the past, patients had to bite into a tray of pink putty so we could get impressions of their teeth. Not only was this uncomfortable for patients, but it often triggered the gag reflex. Today, we use a slim camera wand to take detailed pictures inside your mouth. Digital dental impressions are perfect for patients with a high gag reflex.
We take a conservative approach to dental care, preserving as much natural tooth structure as possible. If a cavity is too big to be fixed with a filling, we’ll recommend a dental crown instead.
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No Temporary Crowns Needed
Before CEREC, we had to send your dental impressions to an off-site lab. Since it would take a few weeks for the lab to create your dental crown, we would place a temporary tooth cover in the meantime. The temporary crown was often uncomfortable, which is why many patients are happy we adopted CEREC.
Since your dental crown is made in one appointment, we don’t have to put a temporary cover over your tooth.
Biometric Restorations as an Alternative to Crowns
Biomimetic dentistry emphasizes imitating nature to preserve and restore the health of our teeth. One of its core principles is preserving natural tooth structure, a departure from the conventional approach that often involves significant removal of healthy tooth structure to make room for a new crown.
Other benefits of biometic restorations include:
- Designed to mimic the natural structure of teeth
- Requires less-aggressive tooth preparation than crowns
- Retains more natural tooth structure for future treatments
- Biomimetic dental materials closely resemble the functional properties of natural teeth
- Minimizing the risk of tooth fractures