If you’re like most men and women in Murray, you welcome convenience in every aspect of life. In other words, straightforward processes with minimal disruption to your schedule.
Multiple Appointments Can Be a Hassle
When it comes to medical or dental services, convenience means the fewest visits possible. Hopefully, only one visit.
Let’s discuss dental crowns, for example. Most men and women need a restoration like a dental crown at some point in their life. A dental crown is one of the most versatile dental restorations. It covers the total visible portion of a tooth and can correct a compromised tooth, a tooth with a large cavity, or a tooth that has undergone a root canal. A strong, natural looking crown protects the remaining tooth and functions like a natural tooth
Dental Crowns Used to Take at Least Two Appointments
The conventional dental crown procedure involves at least two visits. (Sometimes three or four depending on the situation.) On the first visit, the dentist would prepare the tooth and create an impression for the crown. To make impressions, the patient had to bite into a U-shaped tray filled with a thick, gooey substance (alginate or polyvinylsiloxane).
Then the dentist would send the impression to a dental lab to have the crown produced. This could take a couple weeks. When the crown was finished, the patient would have to come back to the dental practice to have it placed and cemented.
CEREC and E4D Same Day Crowns
Now, there are two visit systems. The brand names are CEREC and E4D. Both systems use CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) to design and engineer a perfectly-fitting crown.
CAD uses 3-D software that photographs teeth to create an exact model. In some dental practices, the patient can see the 3-D digital renderings on a screen during their visit.
CEREC uses an infrared camera to transmit the tooth’s exact shape to the CAD software. E4D accomplishes the same thing with laser technology. As mentioned previously, CAD is the modeling software. Once there is a precise 3-D digital model, it’s time to actually fabricate the restoration. That is what the CAM machine does. CAM is the milling operation, in which a small bit-like device powers at extremely high speeds to precisely carve a custom-fitting crown out of a ceramic block.
6 Steps For a One Visit Dental Crown
Here is a recap of the entire same day dental crown process:
- Tooth Preparation. Your dentist will prepare the site for your crown by clearing away decay or portions of the damaged tooth.
- Intraoral Scanning. Next, your dental professional will use an optical scanner to create a 3-D digital rendering of the damaged tooth and surrounding teeth.
- Restoration Design. With the 3-D images, the dentist will use the CAD software to design the final restoration.
- Milling. A milling machine uses the 3-D scan and chisels the crown from a single small brick of ceramic.
- Sintering and Polishing. The dentist then stains or glazes to make the surface of the dental crown look like a natural tooth. Following that, the dentist polishes the restoration to perfection.
- Cementation. Finally, the restoration is permanently placed in your mouth. (Colgate.com)
Did we mention that this takes place in one appointment?
Need a dental crown? Call us today to set up an appointment.
Contact Salt Lake Dental Care – Clint Blackwood DDS:
801-938-8855
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
279 E 5900 S Ste 202
Murray, Utah
84107
