Five Benefits of Choosing CEREC Crowns Over Traditional Crowns
Dental crowns are part of common dental procedures to replace a tooth or prevent a tooth from decaying more. While most people get them to protect their teeth from further damage, people may also choose to get them to restore their smiles. Having a dental crown placed, though, can take several visits and weeks, and can be a hassle if you have a busy schedule.
However, there is an alternative to traditional dental crowns: CEREC crowns. CEREC crowns allow you to receive your crown the same-day, so there’s no need to worry about multiple visits or fittings.
What are CEREC Crowns?
CEREC, or Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, uses CAD/CAM technology to design and generate a dental crown. With traditional crowns, impressions are taken from a patient’s mouth and then sent away to a dental laboratory to complete the process and creation of the crown.
Once the crown is made, it’s sent back and fitted in the patient’s mouth to ensure the correct bite. Sometimes, the crown may not fit correctly on the first try and may need to be altered or even re-made. Impressions can be hard to get perfect with traditional putty if the patient doesn’t bite down enough or too hard, affecting the end product.
CEREC Crown Process
Having a CEREC crown placed is an easy and quick process for the patient. Similar to traditional crowns, the dentist will examine a patient’s mouth and diagnose treatment.
If the dentist verifies that a patient needs a crown, they will prepare the tooth by administering a local anesthesia and removing the decaying areas of the tissue and tooth. A layer of enamel is removed to make room for the crown and roughen the surface to make sure the crown will adhere properly to it.
Unlike traditional crowns, there is no need for putty impressions. CEREC crowns are made the same day using digital impressions that are gathered with a scanner and x-rays. The scanner takes a 3D image of the area where the crown will be placed and then the CAD program designs and mills the crown.
The crown is then fitted correctly, usually with minimal adjustments, and polished to match the surrounding teeth. The entire process takes around two hours, depending on how many crowns are being placed and if any adjustments are needed during the fitting.
Benefits of CEREC Crowns
Both traditional crowns and CEREC crowns help to prevent tooth decay from further destroying your teeth and restores your smile, but CEREC crowns have even more benefits to them that make them worth it.