Should I Get a One Day Crown?

Is a single-visit (CEREC) crown the right choice for your mouth? Will the crown look natural and last a long time? 

And will the one day crown be as good as a traditional crown that requires two dental visits?

Answer these key questions to decide if you should get a one-visit crown for your mouth:

Do I Need a Crown?

First, the obvious—Is this a tooth you want to keep? And is it one that cannot be restored with a simpler, less expensive bonded filling? In addition, is the tooth strong enough to hold a crown?

Read our post Do I Really Need a Dental Crown. This will help you evaluate your photos and radiographs with your dentist. You can know for sure why you need a dental crown.

How Important is Time to Me?

Would you rather use two hours of one day to complete the crown? Or visit the dentist twice over a two to three week time period?

The dentist makes the CEREC crown by scanning your damaged tooth into a computer. Then he mills the crown in his office.

She makes the traditional crown by making an impression of your tooth. The lab makes the crown and returns it to the office for final try in.

Technology or Traditional?

The CADCAM technology that makes CEREC crowns possible is amazing; Patients love avoiding impressions and temporary crowns.

However, you must trust this new technology. If you do, you will enjoy watching the computer screen as the dentist creates your custom crown.

Here is a comparison of the process of CEREC to Traditional Crown:

Traditional Crown

• The dentist “preps” your tooth so that the crown will have natural shape.
• Next he takes an impression of the tooth using polyvinyl material in a tray.
• Then he makes a temporary crown and places it with temporary cement.
• He sends the impression to the dental lab. The lab makes the crown and returns it to office.
• The dentist makes final adjustments and cements the crown.

CEREC Crown

• She “preps” the tooth so that the crown will fit well.
• Next she uses a small wand to scan the exact dimensions of the prepped tooth.
• Then she reads this info into a computer at chair side. There she checks final details of margins, contour, shape.
• She sends the final reading to a mill in the office.
• The dentist evaluates the fit of the milled crown and then places it permanently in your mouth.

Dr. Cranford saved this patient’s tooth with a CEREC crown. The crown will protect the tooth from decay for many years.

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What is the Expertise of the Dentist?

The expertise of your dental office is the single most important factor that assures a good CEREC crown outcome. The CADCAM technology behind one day crowns is very technique sensitive. 

You need to be confident that the dentist and his staff have the experience and training required to accurately read in the fine details of your mouth. 

Ask your dentist these questions if he recommends a CEREC crown for your mouth:

How long has this office used CEREC technology?

There is a long learning curve in making a one day crown that fits well and lasts. The edges of the crown have to be exact so that the crown fits tightly; otherwise, decay will seep into the tooth.

The preparation of the tooth is slightly different than the crown prep for a traditional crown. Your dentist must know exactly how to prepare the damaged tooth so that the crown will fit well.

Our office began making one day crowns in  2001. We watched (from 1985) until we were confident that the crowns would work well for our patients. I am proud of our staff for embracing CEREC technology – and of the beautiful crowns we make.

Dr. Bill Cranford

How many one day crowns do you deliver per year?

The office has to stay on top of updates and education to keep getting good results from the scanner and milling unit. Therefore, continued use of the technology is a must.

Is the staff trained to assist with the process?

Making a CEREC crown is a team effort. The dental assistants need to be comfortable with scanning the tooth; in addition, she should know how to assist with the crown prep and final adjustments to the crown.

I love working with patients on CEREC crowns. They are amazed at the technology – and love the great results. I value the training and like using it to make patients happy.

Crystal Hurst, Expanded Duty CDA

Do you have problems with breakage of CEREC crowns?

One Day Crowns start with a block of material that the milling unit cuts into a crown. Your dentist can explain what material he uses and why.

We have found that the crowns with the best combinations of strength and cosmetics are made from Lithium Disilicate (E.max). This requires that we remove the crown from the milling unit, try it for fit, and then bake it in an oven at over 1000 degrees. 

Optional materials for CEREC Crowns:

• Composite Blocks – Make nice looking crowns but the material is not as strong as E.max crowns. They are more likely to break over time.
• Zirconia – Very strong, but cannot be locked on as well to the tooth. Takes longer to mill and fire in the oven. Thus appointment is 3 hours rather than 2.

The dentists and assistants scan the teeth, design the crown, and then forward to milling unit.

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Will CEREC crown look as good as traditional crown?

Again, the skill of the dentist and staff answers this question. 

Here is how we assure that our E.max crowns look just as good (or better) than lab produced crowns: 

• We select initial blocks from 16 shades in 3 different translucencies.
• Our assistants know how to treat variations in shades of individual teeth.
• We add slight color variations to teeth before final baking process.
• Dentist bonds in the tooth only when the patient loves the final product.

What is your Warranty on One Day Crowns?

Ask your dentist what his warranty is if your crown breaks. He will tell you his guarantee against breakage by years the crown is in your mouth.

Will he guarantee that the crown will feel natural in your mouth? A common problem with fit is a crown that sits high in the mouth. This results in discomfort for this tooth the rest of your mouth.

What is Quality Control in your office?

Finally, does the office embrace single visit crowns as a focus? Does the office have the latest technology, including a baking oven? 

What type of training made your dentists and staff good at this technique? How many hours? Do they get training updates on a regular basis?

Does your office have direct contact with the technology center if a question or problem arises? At our office we pay a monthly fee to guarantee that our equipment and information is current and working well at all times.

Show me your results.

Ask your dentist to show you before and after photos of one day crowns he completed over the past few months.

These will look exactly like natural teeth; in fact, you may not be able to tell they are crowns.

Decide: One Day Crown Right for Me?

When the dentist office has the latest technology and a trained staff, you should have a restored tooth that looks good, feels good, and will last a long time.

Experienced, Local Dentists

Contact Cranford Dental or call 803-324-7670 if you have additional questions about one day crowns.

I am committed to the advancing technology of dentistry. This requires a trained and motivated staff and capital expenditures. This has always been important at Cranford Dental-and always will be.

Dr. Elizabeth Cranford Robinson

We are proud of the great results we have in making several thousand CEREC crowns over the past 10 years. We would love to show you photos on our office computer. 

If you would like to view more photos, read about Dr. Robinson’s CEREC crowns on Dr. Cranford or view our cosmetic dentistry gallery.

We have a long history of high quality dental care in Rock Hill. Our long time patients will assure you that we stand behind our work.

Most important, we will be here to stand behind dental work for many years in the future.