How to Get Dental Crowns in One Appointment (Yes, You Read That Correctly)

All the dentists, hygienists, assistants and staff at Legacy Dental Clinic know that your time is valuable and limited. They also know better than anyone that dental crowns are one of the most versatile and effective tools for solving a wide range of dental problems. But crowns come with a problem, too — it can take several appointments over several weeks to prepare, provide and fit you with crowns. What to do?

Dentists and technicians have continued to develop the technologies, techniques and materials used to prepare dental crowns and have a solution for that problem. It’s simple (or sure seems that way): same-day crowns. Here’s what you need to know about crowns, and how you can take advantage of this new option that respects and saves your time.

Crowns are hollow caps that are placed over a tooth. Before the crown is put into position, your dentist in South Edmonton will prepare that tooth by removing a small amount of enamel so that adding the crown to the tooth will not add too much height, width, weight, and bulk. That crown will fit tightly over that prepared tooth and will completely surround it — from the biting surface to the line of your gums and completely around the entire circumference of your tooth.

How long did it once take to get crowns?

Until recently, at least two dentist appointments have been required in order to get dental crowns. That actually may underestimate what is required since those appointments will typically follow other appointments — especially if you’ve had teeth extracted or are suffering missing teeth or have undergone a root canal to eliminate a serious infection. Dental crowns are an incredibly versatile and powerful tool in a dentist’s arsenal, but that need for multiple appointments separated by several weeks has been a downside. Today, though, you can obtain dental crowns in a single appointment.

How quickly can you get crowns now?

Using the CEREC system, a dentist near you can provide you with dental crowns in South Edmonton in just one appointment. Dentists know the value of your time and want to be able to eliminate the inconvenience of having to schedule multiple appointments when it can be avoided. Thanks to investments in time, money and staff training, those inconveniences can be eliminated.

What is the CEREC system?

CEREC is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. Staff at your dental clinic in South Edmonton will use computer-aided design (CAD) and digital imaging technology to take digital images of the teeth that are being fitted with a crown (after the tooth has been prepared appropriately). to take a series of digital images of your prepared tooth.

Using the CEREC system means that those images (and even dental moulds that dentists would have taken back in the day) won’t have to be sent to dental technicians to give them the information that they need to craft dental crowns near you over the next couple of weeks. With CEREC, the digital images your dentist and their staff will take are transmitted directly and instantly to a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) milling machine in your dentist’s office. Once your dentist has reviewed the design of your new crowns, the CAM machine will craft a dental crown from a block of ceramic material — all while you wait.

Before putting your new crown into its final position, your dentist will confirm it fits properly and suitably within your mouth — in terms of height, shape, colour, how it fits your opposite teeth, etc. Once your dentist confirms that the crown will fit properly and accomplish its intended goal, the crown will be cemented into place onto the underlying tooth.

CEREC same-day crowns are more expensive than traditional crowns. That increased cost is a function of your dentist’s significant investments and the cost of the specialized materials and equipment used to create crowns while you wait. For many patients, though, the value of receiving those crowns in a single appointment rather than at multiple appointments over several weeks means they’re highly preferable to traditional crowns.