Got a broken, chipped, or decayed tooth? Broken, chipped, and decayed teeth can affect your smile and confidence. Same-day crowns can help repair your teeth, creating a stunning and confident smile. With about 120 million people missing at least one tooth and more than 1 in 4 adults have untreated tooth decay, there is a great need for same-day dental crowns to makeovers.
But little is known about these dental crowns. Here’s a guide to same-day crowns to help you know more about this procedure.
What are Same Day Crowns?
Also known as CEREC, this innovative technology delivers same-day dental repairs with computer-aided design and manufacturing. Same-day crowns are identical to traditional crowns but only differ in the duration of the procedure.
While conventional dental crowns take about two weeks to fix, you’ll only take under two hours for same-day crown restoration.
Same-Day Crowns Process
Step 1: Preparing the Tooth for the Crown
The first step in the procedure is to prepare the tooth to receive the crown. For your crown to fit well, the dentist will remove any decayed portions and slim down the tooth.
Unlike traditional crowns, which need about 70% of the tooth removed, same-day crowns don’t require much of your natural tooth filed down.
Step 2: Taking a Digital Impression of Your Tooth
As soon as the tooth’s prepared, our dentist will need to make digital impressions of your tooth. Using an intraoral camera— designed to fit into your mouth — the dentist will take exact, three-dimensional images of your tooth.
Step 3: Designing and Creating a Model of the Crown
Once the digital impression is complete, digital measurements of your tooth are electronically sent to the CEREC device that designs the crown. After designing, the milling machine creates the dental crown out of durable porcelain material.
It takes about 15 minutes to craft same-day crowns. The model of the crown is set to match the color of your natural teeth.
Step 4: Adjusting the Crown
Because of the accuracy of this computer-aided system, you’ll need to make few adjustments to the fit of your new crown. Some slight adjustments include the tinting of your crown.
The dentist will fasten the crown on your tooth with temporary cement so you can check to see if it matches your other teeth.
Step 5: Bonding
If you and your dentist are okay with the fit and appearance, the crown will be fastened on your tooth for good. The dentist will then give you instructions for caring for your same-day crown and teeth.
Benefits of Same-Day Crowns
Save on Time
With traditional crowns, your dentist has to assess the damage of your tooth, fit and refit you for a new crown, and give you a temporary fix. The process can be long and unpleasant.
With same-day crowns, you can dodge the hassle of getting impressions and temporary fixes. You’ll walk into the dental clinic with chipped or damaged teeth and walk out with a crown in less than 2 hours.
Made of High-Quality Materials
Same-day crowns aren’t temporary fixes. They’re made to be crowns you’ll keep for good. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be a worthy replacement for traditional crowns.
They’re made of high-quality and durable ceramic. Using ceramic means you can keep the metal out of your mouth. Since it has the same properties as naturally occurring tooth enamel, it won’t irritate your gums and the surrounding teeth.
Get an Exact Fit
The CEREC device that designs and carves out crowns is precise, making sure your crown fits perfectly. It takes the color of your other teeth and your bite pattern into account to come with the right crown.
In case it doesn’t fit on the first try, this innovative technology makes it easy to make adjustments to get a comfortable fit right there and then.
Avoid the Dental Putty
Dental putty helps to get impressions for traditional crowns. But they test terrible, making you feel like throwing up. With same-day crowns, you don’t have to deal with dental putty anymore.
It uses digital mapping to get impressions instead. Apart from being fast and accurate, it also allows you to treat your damaged teeth in comfort.
Looks Better
Since they’re designed with more precision, same-day crowns look much better than traditional crowns. They not only leave black lines along your gum lines but also don’t match the natural color of your teeth.
In this case, you should opt for the more functional and aesthetically pleasing same-day crowns as a replacement alternative.
You can flash your smile with confidence again.
Preserve More of Your Existing Tooth
When a dentist fits a traditional crown, they have to file down more of your tooth to fit the crown. This means most of your existing tooth will be gone. If you want to avoid that nerve-wracking experience, you should opt for same-day crowns.
They don’t need as much drilling, meaning you get to preserve more of your existing tooth.
Same-Day Crowns vs Traditional Crowns
Generally, dental crowns are a restorative treatment to save your decayed, worn down, chipped, or broken teeth. When you visit the dentist, you have to choose between the two types of crowns– same-day crowns and traditional dental crowns.
While same-day crowns may appeal to you if you want a fast, convenient option, traditional crowns work as well if you don’t mind two appointments, temporary fixes, and a cheaper option. Your choice will depend on your preferences for cost, convenience, comfort, and quality.
Schedule Your Same-Day Crown Appointment Today
Maybe you’ve been asking yourself, “Do I need same-day crowns?”
If you’re a busy individual, same-day crowns are the right fit for your lifestyle. Whether you have been given short notice to appear as a guest on a talk show, or you need to look great for your next meeting or interview, same-day dental crown procedures are a life-saver.
It allows you to visit your dentist and walk out with your fully restored smile in under two hours.