A same-day crown is a custom dental restoration that can be digitally designed, fabricated, and placed during a single appointment. Like a traditional crown, it covers and protects a damaged or weakened tooth while restoring its shape, strength, appearance, and function.
Instead of sending impressions to an outside laboratory and waiting for the final restoration to return, our digital workflow allows us to complete many stages of the process within our practice. This provides greater control over the restorative process while eliminating the need for a temporary crown in many cases.
Same-day crowns can be used to restore many damaged, weakened, or heavily restored teeth. Whether this approach is appropriate depends on the condition and location of the tooth, the type of restoration needed, your bite, and other individual factors.
A dental crown may be recommended for a tooth that:
After evaluating your tooth, we’ll determine whether a same-day crown is appropriate for your specific needs.
Digital dentistry brings multiple stages of the traditional crown process together into one coordinated workflow. Our technology and relationship with Pines Dental Lab allow us to maintain close oversight from the initial scan through the final restoration.
Detailed digital records capture the prepared tooth, surrounding teeth, and bite, providing the information needed to begin designing your restoration.
Specialized dental technology is used to design the shape and contours of your crown with your individual tooth, bite, and surrounding smile in mind.
The restoration can then be precisely milled from high-quality dental material using our in-house equipment, eliminating the traditional wait for an outside laboratory.
Your crown is evaluated and finished before placement. Your doctor checks the fit, contacts, bite, and overall appearance and makes adjustments as needed before completing treatment.
A dental crown should be cared for much like a natural tooth. Brush twice daily, clean between your teeth, and maintain regular dental examinations and professional cleanings. While the crown itself cannot develop a cavity, the natural tooth underneath and the area around the crown still require consistent care.
Avoid using your teeth to open packages or bite extremely hard non-food objects. If you grind or clench your teeth, we may also recommend a protective appliance to help reduce excessive forces on your crown and other teeth.
In many cases, yes. Our digital scanning, design, and in-house fabrication capabilities allow many crowns to be completed during a single appointment. Certain situations may still benefit from a different restorative process, and we’ll recommend the approach best suited to your individual tooth and treatment needs.
The durability of any crown depends on factors such as the restorative material, location of the tooth, bite forces, design, oral hygiene, and individual habits. Same-day technology allows appropriate dental materials to be digitally designed and fabricated for many common restorative situations.
When your final crown can be designed, fabricated, and placed during the same appointment, a temporary crown is generally unnecessary. If your particular restoration requires a different process or additional treatment, a temporary restoration may be used while your final crown is being completed.
Same-day crown appointments are typically longer than an individual appointment in a traditional multi-visit crown process because preparation, scanning, design, fabrication, and placement are completed together. The exact amount of time depends on the tooth and complexity of the restoration, and we’ll let you know what to expect when planning your visit.
