CEREC and E4D One Visit Dental Crowns

If you’re like most individuals in Gibsonton, you appreciate convenience in every aspect of life. In other words, straightforward processes with minimal disruption to your schedule.

Multiple Appointments Can Be a Hassle

When it comes to medical or dental services, convenience means the fewest visits possible. Our team aims to make that happen.

Let’s discuss dental crowns, for example. Most men and women need a restoration like a dental crown at some point in their life. A dental crown is one of the most versatile dental restorations. It covers the complete visible portion of a tooth and can correct a damaged tooth, a tooth with a large cavity, or a tooth that has undergone a root canal. This protects what’s left of the tooth and allows normal function

Dental Crowns Used to Take at Least Two Appointments

The traditional dental crown procedure involves at least two visits. (Sometimes three or four depending on the situation.) On the first visit, the dentist would prepare the tooth and create an impression for the crown. To make impressions, the patient had to bite into a U-shaped tray filled with a thick, gooey substance (alginate or polyvinylsiloxane).

Then the dentist would send the impression to a dental lab to have the crown constructed. This could take a couple of weeks. When the crown was finished, the patient would have to come back to the dental practice to have it placed and cemented.

CEREC and E4D Same Day Crowns

Now, there are two visit systems. The brand names are CEREC and E4D. Both systems use CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) to design and engineer a perfectly fitting crown.

CAD uses 3-D software that photographs teeth to create a precise model. In some dental practices, the patient can see the 3-D digital models on a screen during their visit.

CEREC uses an infrared camera to transmit the tooth’s exact shape to the CAD software. E4D accomplishes the same thing with laser technology. As mentioned previously, CAD is the modeling software. Once there is a precise 3-D rendering, it’s time to create the restoration. That is what the CAM machine does. CAM is the milling process, in which a small bit-like device operates at extremely high speeds to precisely chisel a custom-fitting crown out of a block of ceramic.

Steps For a One-Visit Dental Crown

Here is a recap of the entire process:

1. Tooth Preparation. Your dentist will prepare the site for your crown by clearing away cavities or portions of the damaged tooth.
2. Intraoral Scanning. Next, your dental professional will use an optical scanner to create a 3-D digital model of the damaged tooth and surrounding teeth.
3. Restoration Design. With the 3-D images, the dentist will use CAD software to design the final restoration.
4. Milling. A milling machine uses a 3-D scan and precisely chisels the crown from a single small brick of ceramic.
5. Sintering and Polishing. The dentist then stains or glazes to make the surface of the dental crown look like a natural tooth. Following that, the dentist polishes the restoration to perfection.
6. Cementation. Finally, the restoration is permanently affixed to your mouth.

Need a dental crown? Call us today to request an appointment.