CEREC SAME-DAY CROWNS

Your teeth are subject to a number of issues like chipping, breakage, discoloration, and decay and may require repair, improvement and protection. We here at San Anselmo Family Dentistry take that job very seriously. We want your teeth to have the best care possible. There are solutions to your teeth problems. One of them is a crown. A dental crown is a cap that is shaped like a tooth used to cover the tooth to protect it from any damage and improve the way it looks. But the procedure can be time consuming. So we offer a quicker one-appointment solution: CEREC Crown.

CEREC is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. These crowns are produced using an advanced computerized system. An intraoral handheld scanner is used to recreate tooth surface as a 3D replica in the CEREC software system. Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacture (CAM) are used to design and create a crown that fits your damaged tooth perfectly well. The images taken by the CAD/CAM technology are used to create a digital model of your tooth. Using the model and a ceramic block, a CEREC crown is carved out and then shaded to match your other teeth. The best part, all of this is done in just one visit saving you precious time and money.

• A CEREC crown matches a real tooth in look and feel. The material is matched to the shade of the tooth and the imagining technologies employed are precise and accurate in their rendering resulting in a crown that fits really well.
• The procedure requires just a single appointment. This saves time and money for the patient.
• CEREC crowns are just as durable, lasting anywhere between 5 to 15 years depending on the maintenance and adopting good oral hygiene.
• The use of technology makes them digitally precise and accurate giving a very good fit with no room for human error.
• With no metal in the crown, there is no possibility of having black lines along the gum.
• No temporary crowns while waiting for permanent ones. The temporary crowns usually do not fit well and increases chances of decay with food particles getting stuck.

The traditional dental crown is typically done in two visits that will be a minimum of 2 weeks apart. A number of materials are used to make the crown including metals, ceramic, porcelain, porcelain fused to metal and resins.
Your dentist will first remove the outermost portion of the tooth to prepare it so that the crown will fit well. If there is a need to build up the core tooth to support the crown, he may use a filling to do so. An impression is made to provide you with a model replica of the crown. A mold or a digital scan of the tooth is used to make the impression.

While a permanent crown is being made, you may be given a temporary stainless steel crown. The permanent one should be ready in about a couple weeks. Once the new and permanent crown is ready, your dentist installs it onto the destined tooth and makes the required adjustments. When both you and your dentist are satisfied with how the placement of the crown looks and feels, it is cemented into place. Contrast this with a CEREC crown, which only requires one appointment. The only material used is ceramic. After the initial preparation, instead of making an impression on a mold, your dentist will follow these steps.

Photographs of your teeth are taken using an intraoral scanner. These are then used to create a digital impression of your teeth. The impression is then sent to a CAD/CAM software, which renders a blueprint for digital tooth restoration. The blueprint of the restoration is sent to a milling machine onsite, which carves out the dental crown out of a ceramic block in about 15 minutes. Once the crown is ready, your dentist will match its shade with the rest of your teeth and polish it off before cementing it.

The cost of CEREC crowns is almost the same as that of traditional crowns but with one less appointment. This saves the money you would spend on multiple visits. The procedure is covered by dental insurance but the extent is dependent on the provider. So be sure to consult your provider before deciding.

We at the San Anselmo Family Dentistry make it our commitment to provide the best possible care for your teeth. We will have you flaunting your teeth and smiling in no time. We have the expertise to cater to all kinds of needs and the family-owned atmosphere will put you at ease instantly. If you think a CEREC crown is what you need, be sure to reach out to us. We have successfully handled procedures for a number of happy clients who go home with new and improved teeth. You can schedule an appointment or call us for further details. We will answer any questions that you may have so you can make an informed decision.