At Pearl Street Dental our restorative dentists in Boulder are committed to incorporating the latest in dental technology for the comfort and convenience of our patients. We know your time is valuable so we have included same-day crowns in our line of services. This technology allows us to craft and deliver a high-quality, custom-made crown in just one visit, eliminating the need for multiple appointments.
A dental crown or a dental cap is a prosthesis that your dentist places upon a damaged tooth to restore its original shape, size, and strength. Crowns fully encase the visible portion of a tooth lying at and above the gum line. Dentists recommend crowns when a tooth is heavily decayed, weakened, cracked, or discolored. They can also be used following a root canal treatment and with dental implants. Crowns not only enhance the functionality of damaged teeth but also improve their aesthetic appearance.
Traditionally, there are four types of dental crowns:
Metal Crowns: Made from gold, nickel, chromium, or palladium, metal crowns are noted for their toughness and longevity. However, their conspicuous color is often a drawback for patients.
Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal Crowns: These offer better aesthetics as compared to metal crowns. However, the porcelain part can chip or break off, and the metal underneath the cap can show through as a dark line.
All-Resin Crowns: These are an affordable choice but are prone to fractures, will wear down faster than porcelain, and will discolor over time.
All-Ceramic or All-Porcelain Crowns: These offer the best natural color match, are suitable for people with metal allergies, and will not discolor.
The introduction of same-day crowns adds a fifth type to the current list – Computer-aided design/Computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) crowns. These crowns are developed using computer technology. CAD refers to the computer-aided design to create the precise shape and size of the crown, while CAM (Computer-aided manufacturing) is used to manufacture the crown. This technology allows for a highly precise and accurate fabrication of the crowns, ensuring a perfect fit for the patient. The whole process from design to production can be accomplished in a single dental visit as there is no need for a temporary crown or a second fitting appointment.
At Pearl Street Dental, our same-day crowns are also known as “CEREC” which is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, or CERamic REConstruction. In other words, it means that we use CAD/CAM technology to effectively restore damaged teeth in a single appointment using a high-quality ceramic material that matches the natural color of your other teeth. A tooth-colored restoration means no more silver fillings discoloring smiles and the material is compatible with tissue in the mouth, anti-abrasive, and plaque-resistant.
If you need a crown, you should know that it is worthwhile to find a Boulder restorative dentist like Dr. Moynier at Pearl Street Dental who can provide same-day crown service. That’s because they bring several advantages over traditional two-appointment crowns. These include:
A dental crown is often needed when a tooth is cracked, severely decayed or has a large filling. In the past, the process for getting a crown would involve taking an impression of the tooth, sending it to a lab for fabrication, fitting a temporary crown, and scheduling a separate appointment to place the final crown. This process normally takes 2-3 weeks! But now, with same-day crowns, the entire procedure from impression to fitting is done in a single appointment.
With same-day dental crowns, digital scanning technology is used to take precise images of your tooth. These images are used to design a perfectly fitted crown which is then sent to an on-site milling machine. This machine creates a custom crown from a block of high-grade dental porcelain in just a few minutes. Your new crown is then checked for the perfect fit and color, adjusted if necessary, and then permanently bonded to your tooth. This whole process can be completed within a matter of hours.
With traditional crowns, a patient needs to wear a temporary crown which can come off, break, or cause redness and bleeding of the gums for two weeks. Same-day crowns eliminate the need for temporary crowns by delivering your permanent crown immediately.
Same-day crowns are made of high-quality ceramic materials that can be matched precisely to the natural color of your other teeth, providing a seamless and aesthetically pleasing result.
Thanks to the advanced technology used, same-day crowns offer excellent durability and can last just as long as traditional crowns.
No one looks forward to getting a dental crown, but if you need to have one, finding a way to save time without compromising your oral health is a win-win situation. Same-day crowns offer patients the chance to restore their damaged teeth in a single appointment without any sacrifice on accuracy, comfort, aesthetics, and durability. If you want to take advantage of this innovative approach and keep your smile healthy, contact Pearl Street Dental to schedule an appointment.