Need To Get A Dental Crown? Consider Same-Day Services

If you have severe decay in a tooth, your dentist may recommend a dental crown. Your dentist will remove the decay and then shape the enamel so that a crown, or cap, can slip over and protect the remaining tooth structure. In the past, it usually took two appointments to get fitted with a crown since the permanent restoration needed to be fabricated at a dental lab. However, more and more offices are offering same-day dental services. Read on to learn more about same-day dental care regarding crowns.

What Are Same-Day Dental Crowns?

When you get a same-day crown, that means that you only need one appointment to get fitted with a permanent crown. Instead of having to send an impression to the lab, your dentist can take use an intraoral optical scanner to capture the details of your teeth. Then, this scanned image is sent to CAD/CAM software, and a computer mills your custom crown at your dental office. Once the crown is milled, your dentist can seat it over the prepped tooth.

Why Are Same-Day Dental Crowns a Good Choice?

Some patients don't do well with impression material (e.g. alginate or polyvinyl) and tend to gag. With same-day crowns, you don't need to take an impression because the scanner captures the details of your teeth. It's a very non-invasive procedure.

Again, in the past, your dentist would need to send the impression to a dental lab, where a technician would use it to make a cast of your teeth. Then, he or she would build a crown around that cast. Because it would take time for a dental lab to make your final crown, you'd have to wear a temporary crown in the meantime and make another appointment to get your final crown.

Furthermore, some people don't like wearing a temporary crown because it's not as strong as a permanent crown. You have to be very careful when you eat foods with a temporary crown since the material can break easily. And if you break a temporary crown, then you have to go back to the dentist to get it re-cemented.

As CAD/CAM software has improved, more materials can be milled, such as composite resin, ceramic, zirconia, metals, etc. Some dentists prefer CAD/CAM software because the milling can be more accurate than with manual adjustments. This means that the crown will fit more snugly and reduce the likelihood of recurring decay since it will be harder for bacteria to get between the crown and the tooth.

Contact a dental service in your area for more information on same-day crowns and other dental services.


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