Did you know that you can visit your Littleton, CO dentist and have a dental crown the very same day? No need to fuss with multiple visits, uncomfortable temporaries, or messy impressions. Same-day dentistry for dental crowns now gives a patient the ability to make a single visit to Canyon View Dentistry, and in under a few hours leave with a beautiful dental crown restoration.

Keep reading to learn more about same-day dentistry at your Ken Caryl Dentist.

What is Same-Day Dentistry and How is a Single-Visit Crown Possible?

Traditional dentistry and getting a “tooth cap” or Crown as it’s commonly called, required that a patient make multiple visits to their dentist. The first appointment was to have an impression taken. During this visit a patient would also have a temporary tooth made. The dentist then sends their impression to a lab where the dental crown would be fabricated for the patient. Then the patient would have to return in about two weeks once the lab returned the crown to have it placed in their mouth. At Canyon View Dentistry, we utilize the latest technology called CEREC to eliminate multiple visits.

What is CEREC?

CEREC is CAD/CAM – what it is and what it does. CEREC is what allows your Littleton, CO dentist the ability to perform “same day crowns” at Canyon View Dentistry. Our CEREC system consists of 3 pieces of equipment. This equipment allows us to take a digital impression of your teeth, design a custom dental crown restoration, and stain and glaze it to be a beautiful match to your mouth.

How Does the Same-Day Crown Process Work?

The first step is the digital scan. This is the “CAD” part of CAD/CAM – it stands for Computer-aided design. We use the most sophisticated scanning unit available in dentistry, called the CEREC Primescan, to take a digital impression of your mouth. This unit takes 50,000 images per second, at 1 million 3-D pixels per second, and allows us to take even a full-mouth scan in under 5 minutes. It is extremely accurate, allowing us to ensure a well-fitting restoration or dental crown. After the digital impression is taken, we use the Primescan to design an ideal dental crown or inlay that will fit and function just like your natural tooth.

The next step is the milling process. This is the “CAM” part of CAD/CAM – it stands for computer-aided manufacturing. The Primescan will send our restoration design to the Primemill for fabrication. This is the really fun part, and a lot of our patients like watching the Primemill in action as it cuts our design out of a ceramic block using diamond burs (similar to small drill bits). Once the milling process of the dental crown is complete, your assistant will return to the room and try-in your crown restoration to ensure fit, including taking an xray to check the inside of the restoration and between your teeth. Many of our crowns are made out of a material called E.Max, or BlueBlock. If so, the crown will look purple before the third step due to the composition and structure of the pre-crystallized glass-ceramic.

The third and final step of the CEREC dental crown process is firing in the SpeedFire. This will give the dental restoration its final strength, and final color to match your adjacent teeth. The 25-minute crystallization process occurs at over 1500°F and converts the blue shade of the pre-crystallized block to the final block shade. It causes increased growth of the crystals and increases the density of the material.

Once the restoration has cooled, it is ready to be cemented onto your tooth. After the final restoration is checked, and any adjustments are completed, you are ready to go! No need for a second appointment, no temporary crown, and no messy impressions. Just same-day dentistry!