Advantages of CEREC Same-Day Crowns in Philadelphia, PA

Damaged teeth can affect your speech, smile, and how you eat your favorite foods. Whether you have a chipped tooth or a decayed tooth, finding quality dental restorations quickly is essential to restoring your beautiful smile.

Dr. Christine Han, DMD, and the dental associates at Pennsylvania Center for Dental Excellence are passionate about helping fellow PA residents perfect their smiles. With innovative dental technology like CEREC same-day restorations in Philadelphia, PA, we can help patients restore their smiles within a single visit.

What are CEREC Same-Day Crowns?

Instead of traditional crowns, which require multiple visits to your dentist’s office and a third-party manufacturer, a CEREC crown involves a same-day procedure in the office. We use computer-aided design and manufacturing tools, or CAD/CAM tools, to create custom dental crowns within a two-hour appointment.

CEREC is an acronym that stands for Chairside, Economical, Restorations, Esthetic, and Ceramic. CEREC dental crowns involve high-end technology to create natural-looking yet highly durable dental restorations.

Traditional crowns come from a separate lab outside of the dentist’s office. Because of this, patients receiving a conventional crown need to schedule multiple visits with their dentist over two to three weeks. Each visit consists of a series of fittings and color-matching to ensure that the crown will sit comfortably and naturally in your mouth.

While waiting for the permanent crown, patients receive a temporary dental crown to protect their damaged tooth. With CEREC technology, patients can receive their permanent crown during the first visit without needing a temporary crown.

What is the CEREC Placement Process?

The CEREC placement process is similar to the traditional dental crown procedure. However, patients walk away with their permanent crown after a single visit.

The placement process begins with a thorough dental exam. Next, the dentist will examine your tooth to determine the severity of the damage and the proper dental treatment. Finally, they will prepare your tooth by removing the decayed parts if they deem a crown necessary.

Removing the decayed part of a tooth is critical for any dental restoration. The infection or decay can spread to the gum tissues without removing it and cause more severe damage. By removing the decayed part of your tooth, we can minimize damage and prevent further infections.

After the tooth preparation, your dentist will take a digital scan of your tooth to create an optical impression. Instead of using the traditional and uncomfortable dental putty to capture your tooth’s shape, we use a light powder to cover the tooth. With this powder, we can use a specialized camera to capture the unique shape of your tooth.

Next, we use the digital image of your tooth to create a custom crown. By sending the image to an in-office CEREC computer program, we can create a custom tooth restoration crown within 20 minutes.

Digital scans create incredibly accurate molds of your tooth. With these detailed images, we can customize a dental crown that matches the shape and color of your tooth. The result is a dental crown that fits comfortably in your mouth and looks like your natural tooth.

We fit and secure the crown to your tooth when the crown is ready. Since this is your permanent crown, there is no need to schedule another appointment. Instead, during a single visit, you get a high-quality and natural-looking dental crown.

Who is a Prime Candidate for CEREC Same-Day Restorations in Philadelphia, PA?

A CEREC same-day restoration is an excellent option for patients suffering from various dental issues, including the following:

• Cracked tooth or teeth
• Traumatic damage to a tooth
• Aging or outdated dental restorations

If your dentist recommends that you get a new crown or dental bridge, you could be a prime candidate for CEREC restorations. In addition, many patients with old metal dental restorations can also benefit from upgrading to CEREC dental crowns.

How to Care for Your CEREC Dental Crown

Another benefit to CEREC dental restorations is the minimal downtime. Patients who receive a CEREC crown can get back to eating their favorite foods right after the procedure.

Since CEREC dental crowns look and feel like natural teeth, patients should treat them as such. Brushing twice a day, flossing, and using mouthwash are basic oral health maintenance practices that can go a long way in caring for a CEREC crown. You should also schedule a professional cleaning with your dentist to keep your teeth and dental crown clean and healthy.

Curious to learn more about CEREC same-day restorations in Philadelphia, PA? Call the Pennsylvania Center for Dental Excellence at (215) 352-5447 to schedule an appointment!