In our blog entry today we are going to talk about an incredible technological advance that has taken place in dentistry in recent years—crowns in one day. According to the American Dental Association, huge strides have been made in the past few years which utilize digital dental technology for clinical applications. At Ponte Vedra Complete Dentistry, we are dedicated to our patients and one of our primary goals is to keep our patients up to date on the latest dental technology and capabilities. One way that we educate our patients is with our blog. If you would like to read more about the crowns in one day that we offer, please visit the services section of our website. If you are interested in having dental crowns made using the latest dental technology, please feel free to contact us at any time electronically, schedule an appointment consultation here, or call (904)285-7711. We hope that you are as excited as we are about this awesome new technology and that you will learn something interesting from the article today.
What Are Some Reasons that a Tooth May Need a Crown?
There are many reasons that your dentist may recommend that you get one or more crowns placed on your teeth. You may also elect to have crowns or veneers placed on your teeth because you would like your teeth to be a few shades brighter or because you would like to change the shape of your teeth. The following list contains some reasons that you may need or want a crown:
- Root canal-treated tooth
- Replacing an old crown that may be broken or have decay around it
- Esthetics
- Attaching a bridge
- Large cavity or decay
- Large filling that puts the tooth at increased risk for breaking
- Implant crown
How Long Does It Take To Make A Traditional Lab-Fabricated Crown?
The traditional way to make a crown involves multiple steps. In the traditional method, patients are required to see the dentist for at least two appointments to have a final crown placed on a tooth. The dentist would first shave or drill the tooth down in the correct way to fit a crown on it. Using messy and gooey impression material, the dentist would make a negative impression of the “crown preparation” and the teeth around it. At this point, the dentist would create a “temporary crown” to protect your tooth while your final crown is being made and then send you home. The dentist would then make a model of the tooth to have a crown put on it and send this model to a laboratory that specializes in fabricating dental prostheses. The laboratory technicians would create the crown by hand out of the specified materials and then send it back to the dentist. Finally, the dentist would bring you back for another appointment to remove the temporary crown place the final crown on the tooth.
What Are Some Advantages Of Having Your Crown Made In One Day?
The main advantage of having a crown made in one day is that the patient spends less time in the chair. An entire extra appointment is avoided and the patient does not have to spend time wearing a “temporary crown” that may easily break or fall off. Additionally, the dentist and dental assistants spend less time doing laboratory work, which means that they can spend more time treating patients. More often than not, crowns made in one day with our technology look and fit better than crowns made in the traditional manner.
How Does The “Crown in One Day” Process Work?
Crowns in one day utilize a revolutionary technology called CAD/CAM. CAD stands for computer-aided design and CAM is a software that is used to control machines in the manufacture of workpieces. This type of technology is utilized by your dentist and fabricate to design custom-made crowns in a short amount of time. As stated above, your dentist will shape your tooth in the same way as traditional crowns were shaped. Instead of using impression materials, your dentist may be able to use a computer scanning device to register the shape of the crowns preparation. This data is then uploaded to a computer and manipulated by your dentist to design the perfect crown for you. Finally, a milling machine is connected to the computer and the crown is made. Your dentist can then place the final crown on the same day that it was started.
Do you think that you may need crowns or veneers? Crowns in one day may be an excellent treatment option for you! If you live in the Ponte Vedra Beach area or a surrounding community, please feel free to contact us at any time electronically or call (904)285-7711.