Same Day Crowns: Are They Better?

Advances in dental technology typically shoot for one of several goals: to make things more efficient, more effective or safer.  Because we want all of these things for our patients, we invest in the technologies proven to do all of those things.  One such technology is the CEREC machine, which enables us to make “same-day crowns”.

Advantages of Same Day Crowns for the Patient

A traditional crown is a two-appointment dental treatment that requires a waiting period of several weeks between appointments and the need to wear a temporary crown. There are several negative aspects to this that the same day crown overcomes, making it the better choice for a patient.

• 
  

  Only a Single Dental Appointment

Many of the benefits to our patients who opt for same day crowns come from the single dental appointment they require.  It’s hard enough to make one appointment in our busy day and age. If you work, you only have to take off work once.  If you need childcare, you only have to arrange it once.

For our patients who suffer from health-related anxiety, there is the benefit of having the treatment completed, so there is no time to worry before the final crown is placed.

• 
  

  No Temporary Crown

Temporary crowns serve the purpose of covering the prepared tooth and holding the space for the final crown during the waiting period between visits for a traditional crown.  There are many different types of temporary crowns, and some are better than others.  Often, patients state that temporary crowns are uncomfortable, rough, or ugly.  

Temporary crowns must be removable in order for the dentist to place the final crown.  For this reason, they use a temporary dental cement to hold the crown on the tooth.  Often, this cement loosens before the final crown is ready, requiring yet another visit to the dentist to re-cement the temporary crown.  A dislodged temporary crown can lead to tooth sensitivity and shifting of the neighboring teeth, which can cause the final crown to not fit.

The fact that same day crowns do not require a temporary crown is a huge benefit to the patient!

• 
  

  No Gooey Impressions

We know that most people hate the sticky, gooey dental impressions we take to make molds of your teeth.  In the past, that was the most accurate way to make a replica of the teeth.  Advances in technology allow us to recreate the exact shape, size and contour of the teeth with a digital three-dimensional scan.  This scanning technology takes thousands of tiny pictures of the teeth and stitches them together to form a 3D digital model of the teeth.  These scans are accurate to hundredths of a millimeter.

And they mean no gooey impressions to make you gag!

• 
  

  Crown Made In Office

In the traditional crown process, the dentist takes a mold of the prepared tooth and sends it to the lab, where a dental lab technician makes the actual crown.  With a same day crown, your dentist designs your new crown on the digital 3D model provided by the scan.  

Your dentist, who knows your teeth, your bite, and any other important information about your mouth, is the one designing your crown.  This leads to a better fit and better appearance of the new crown.  

Another benefit to this aspect of same day crowns is that if the crown does not fit, your dentist can see exactly where the problem lies and modify the next one to account for that issue.  And because it takes place in the dental office, you will not have to return for yet another appointment as you would with a traditional crown.

Do You Need a Crown?

Call 940-382-1750 today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Chowning.  He can answer all of your questions about dental crowns and give you more details as to why a same day crown is the best choice.