What are CEREC Crowns?
Traditionally crowns are tooth-shaped caps that fit snug to the tooth, both strengthening the tooth and improving the cosmetic appearance. In the past, dentists used crowns made from metal, porcelain, resin, or a combination of these materials. In recent years, CEREC Crowns have pushed General and Cosmetic Dentistry forward in a positive direction. CEREC crowns still function like a traditional crown, only now they can be produced much more quickly and are made of natural-looking ceramic for a superior cosmetic result.
Why CEREC Crowns Are Better Than Traditional Dental Crowns?
The process of producing traditional crowns is widely known to be an extensive process. People will spend an average of two to three weeks waiting for a dental crown, making the experience a dreadful one for patients. With the newly developed Computer-Aided-Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology, also known as CADCAM Dentistry, our dental office now can expedite the process of creating crowns for our patients.
This new field of dentistry has provided dentists with one of the greatest achievements in recent history: the CEREC Crown. It’s allowed dentists to achieve optimal function and esthetics to create natural teeth for their patients. Many people wonder, what’s so great about this dental restoration method? Well, a single appointment can achieve it all.
Why should you consider CEREC Crowns? We’ll provide a breakdown of why it would benefit your oral health to opt for CAD/CAM technology. By highlighting the benefits and downfalls in each of the different types of crowns, you’ll learn about why we recommend our patients should choose CEREC Crowns.
CEREC Crown Review
The crown was made AND fitted THE SAME DAY. The entire procedure was totally pain-free. Love Katie, my hygienist, and the dentists as well. So friendly, so nice, they know “their stuff” and are very gentle.
CEREC Crowns Pros & Cons
Midtown Dental is one of the few dental offices in the country that has acquired the technology to create a perfect-fitting CEREC Crown. Each crown will look and feel like a real, natural tooth with the aid of the new computer system in the office. To your benefit as the patient, Dr. Jenny Apekian and Dr. Christina Skelton are licensed and certified to operate the CAD/CAM device.
Once your appointment begins, your dentist will create a 3-Dimensional (3D) Digital Impression of your mouth to measure the area where to place the crown. That means no more traditional impression material! A small camera takes a highly accurate 3D image of your teeth. Once that is finished, the milling unit creates the Ceramic Crown. Then our team will paint and glaze each tooth to match your other teeth beautifully. After completing this process, bonding the crown can happen in a matter of minutes.
There are plenty of benefits to choosing this new technology. If you’re searching for the pros and cons of opting-in for this method, we’ll start with the benefits of CEREC Crowns:
- The entire process only takes 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 5-15 years; but if taken care of, they may last much longer.
- No temporaries, no impressions, and less Post-operative sensitivity.
Our dental staff has found that patients have been unable to provide negative feedback about their new CEREC Crowns. Dr. Jenny Apekian, Dr. Gina Crippen and Dr. Sarah Mathai use an in-house computer-aided design system to start the process. The computer-aided design system allows for our dental team to generate an exact measurement of our patients’ mouths and where they’ll place the Crowns. Once they complete the CEREC Crown’s design, they then mill (create) the ceramic material with precision – it’s quick and highly accurate.
The entire process only takes around 2 hours from start to finish, which is one of the greatest benefits of the service, eliminating the grueling process that required our patients to schedule multiple appointments for different phases seen with traditional dental crown procedures. We care about your time and want to make the most of it!
Are you wondering, “are CEREC Crowns right for me?” Our dental team at Midtown Dental will typically gauge whether or not our patients are candidates based on whether or not our dental team recommends them for a traditional crown.
Ready to schedule an appointment for a CEREC Crown?
Pros & Cons of Traditional Dental Crowns
It wouldn’t be fair to give traditional crowns a bad name in the light of new groundbreaking technology capable of creating CEREC Crowns for our patients. For years, they’ve served as one of the most reliable methods to help people achieve the smile they’ve wanted their whole lives. All in all, regular crowns have contributed a great deal of value in assisting dental experts in progressing towards new discoveries using state-of-the-art technology.
Like their new and improved counterpart, regular old-fashioned dental crowns require a post foundation embedded into the jaw’s bone. A traditional crown, made of a combination of porcelain, gold, or silver fused to metal, provides a strong substitute to replace a natural tooth. The pros of regular dental crowns are that they’re:
- CEREC crowns are very esthetic.
- Created with sturdy material to create a strong foundation.
- Alignment and fitting is fairly accurate.
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.
With the addition of this recent groundbreaking technology in the field of dental medicine, it makes sense to opt for this new method of obtaining dental crowns. Midtown Dental recommends that if you’re a candidate for CEREC Crowns, it would be beneficial for your oral health to opt for this new method.
CEREC Crown Q&As
How much does a CEREC Crown Cost?
The cost of a CEREC crown is usually in the same range as a traditional crown. While the actual price of a CEREC crown does vary from patient to patient, the price typically falls in a range between $500 – $1,500.
What are the benefits of CEREC Crowns?
The main benefit of CEREC crowns is the time it takes to receive the crown. In some cases, our dentists can complete the process in just a few hours. CEREC crowns also offer superior cosmetic results and last just as long as a regular crown.
Ready for Your Next Dental Visit?
Are you looking for a dentist who can provide you with a CEREC Crown to replace a broken/missing tooth? Contact Midtown Dental today to learn whether or not you qualify for CEREC Crowns.
Call today at (916) 441–5800 to learn more about our dental services.