Technology in the dental field is constantly changing, for the better. Once upon a time, metal crowns were top of the line, which was surpassed later by porcelain fused to metal crowns. Porcelain crowns soon thereafter became the new standard. While it seemed improbable to make these crowns better, technology came along that found a way to make the best better. CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic) CAD/CAM technology is the new frontier.
People across the country are aware of how laborious the process of traditional crowns can be. The initial appointment involves preparing the tooth, and bitter, gooey impressions. Following a stone model being made and sent to a lab, a crown is sent back to the dental office roughly 2-3 weeks later, all the while the patient is in a temporary crown. The temporary crown is then removed and the permanent crown is placed.
With the advancement of CEREC technology, our dental office has the ability to replace gooey impressions with a completely 3D digital impression. This is taken with a highly accurate small camera connected to the computer that communicated with the crown milling machine. After the tooth is prepared, scanned and sent to the mill, the porcelain (tooth colored) crown is milled from a single block of porcelain within 30-45 minutes. The margin of error is near zero as all information is done without any human interaction. The crown is then cleaned and permanently placed in your mouth. All within one visit!
Pros of CEREC Crowns include:
- The entire process only takes 1-2 hours.
- Digital Impressions are created of your mouth in a matter of minutes.
- Creation of ceramic crown using our milling unit ensures accuracy & precision.
- CEREC Crowns look & feel like a real tooth.
- Aesthetically, there’s no other type of crown that can compete with a CEREC Crown.
- They can last on average 10-15 years; but if taken care of, they may last much longer.
- No temporaries, no impressions, and less Post-operative sensitivity.
Cons of traditional Porcelain Fused to Metal Crowns include:
- Dentists have had a great deal of time to report the shortcomings of regular dental crowns.
- It’s a lengthy and extensive process to take impressions of your mouth, create the crown, and place it.
- Chipping and cracking of porcelain that is fused to a metal coping.
- Can be fairly expensive depending on material.
- Temporaries may come off or cause sensitivity while waiting for permanent restoration.