Also known as a cap, a dental crown is an artificial tooth that fits over a damaged tooth, literally capping it
. These single tooth restorations are used to strengthen a tooth that has suffered severe trauma, decay, or some other form of damage.
If you need a dental crown, Dr. Eddy Sauer, Jr. and Dr. Nathaniel Avirett offer traditional and same-day crowns to patients at Shemen Dental in Amarillo, TX. Read on to learn about the differences between same-day vs. traditional crowns.
Receiving Traditional Dental Crowns
Placing a traditional crown requires two dental visits. At the first appointment, your dentist will remove damaged and decayed portions of the tooth.
The remaining tooth structure is molded into a mound over which a dental crown can easily fit. Impressions are taken of the treated tooth.
An outside dental lab uses this information to fabricate your crown. Some patients may receive a temporary crown to wear while they wait about two weeks for their permanent crown to be made.
You will return to our dental practice about two weeks later to have your crown placed. After ensuring that the crown complements your bite patterns and natural smile, your dentist will cement the restoration into place.
Receiving Same-day Dental Crowns
A same-day crown condenses the entire crown preparation and placement process into a single appointment. The in-office computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology allows for the preparation and fabrication of crowns, using top-quality IPS e.max® porcelain, in about an hour.
Your dentist will prepare your tooth by removing the damaged tooth structure. Digital impressions are then taken of the treated tooth using specialized scanning technology.
This data if fed directly into a milling machine that crafts your dental crown to the precise dimensions of your tooth. Additionally, the ceramic is color-matched to your surrounding natural teeth to blend in undetectably.
It only takes about an hour for the high-tech machine to make your crown. You can simply wait in our office during that time.
About an hour later when your restoration is ready, your dentist will check that it fits in with bite and smile. Lastly, he will place it over the tooth and adhere it with specialized dental cement.
Same-day Crown Advantages
Most patients will qualify for same-day crowns, which offer a number of benefits for patients with a damaged tooth:
- Great convenience in only needing one dental appointment.
- Digital impressions instead of traditional messy impressions.
- No need for a temporary restoration.
- Extremely strong IPS e.max porcelain is very durable
- IPS e.max porcelain closely resembles real tooth enamel.
Find out Which Is Right for You
Dental crowns are a well-tested dental restoration that can restore the balance of your bite and the beauty of your smile. Find out which dental crown type, same-day or traditional, is right for you. Book your appointment by calling us at (806) 358-2472. You can also send us a message online and we will get back to you shortly.
