I recently had a new patient who came to me with a fractured tooth. This particular patient had an old filling that ended up breaking the cusp of one of his molars. This is a common problem, and one that can be fixed with a permanent, natural-looking restoration. We dentists have been restoring broken teeth with crowns for years.
Restorative dentistry is a vital part of my practice, and work diligently to make sure every patient has a restorative that fits their smile.
The biggest change in restorative dentistry over the past several years is the technology. My office uses a design and milling machine known as CEREC that can produce beautiful, natural-looking crowns in just one visit. If you’ve had a crown placed, it’s likely you waited four weeks or longer for a permanent restoration. In that time, you have to wear an uncomfortable temporary crown while your permanent crown is being created.
The patients I mentioned with the fractured molar was amazed to hear that I could fix his broken tooth in just one visit! Using CEREC technology, we can prepare the tooth and place crowns in just one visit. This crowns blend in with your natural teeth and are long-lasting. CEREC crowns can last decades if cared for properly.
The Benefits of Same-day Crowns
A huge benefit of CEREC same-day crowns is that they can be placed in just one day, but let me explain in depth how that speedy timeline helps our patients. CEREC can turn a two- to three-visit treatment into a one- to two-hour treatment. I recently read an interesting study that details the amount of hours American spend at the dentist every year. Because we work regular business hours, people often have to leave school or work for their appointments.
According to the the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Americans lose millions of hours in work and school instruction to treat dental issues, from preventative to restorative. The organization found that children across America miss out on 51 million school hours every year because of dental emergencies and problems. In the same study, the organization found that adults miss out on 164 million hours of work every year due to dental disease and dental emergencies.
I’m not sure many of those featured in the study needed restorative dental crowns, but it’s still interesting and alarming to see how dental issues can cut into our daily lives. Time is obviously an important of our lives. All of us have a schedule, and I’m sure most of us would like to spend more time with our family and friends. CEREC technology is one big change in dentistry that allows patients to receive great quality crowns in just one visit.
At typical dental offices, patients have their tooth prepared and temporary crown placed. A few weeks later – or maybe even longer – patients come back for the permanent crown. Unfortunately, if the crown does not fit the patient properly, they have to wait until several weeks for the crown to be adjusted. By the end of the treatment, patients spend hours in the dental chair and have maybe several visits to complete one procedure.
CEREC is a game-changer in restorative dentistry because we can take the impression, prepare the tooth and place the permanent crown in about 90 minutes. Our patients can actually sit in the chair and watch their crowns being created by the machine. The machine perfectly matches the color of patient’s natural teeth and is very durable. If the crown does not fit exactly, there’s no need to schedule another visit or take another day off of work. We can create another crown right in the office.
One of things people love about CEREC is that it eliminates the need for a temporary crown. Temporary crowns are rarely comfortable and they can sometimes be painful. It’s also not uncommon for patients to have temporary crowns break or dislodge. Common temporary crowns are also made from acrylic, which in no way resembles natural teeth, and patients with temporary often have trouble flossing around the restoration.
We’ve found that CEREC cuts down on the amount of time patients spend in the office and takes a lot of apprehension away from the procedure. Patients are more likely to go with a procedure that will take one quick over a procedure that will take multiple visits.
If you’re looking for a new dentist who uses the latest technology to give you thorough, comprehensive care, don’t hesitate to call our office today at 248-972-8720.
