Dental crowns are small caps made of metal, resin, ceramic or porcelain materials that slip over a discoloured, damaged, weakened or misshapen tooth. Dental crowns completely cover those teeth from their biting surface all the way to the edge of your gums. By doing so, crowns from your dentist in Grande Prairie can perfect the appearance of teeth, restore strength to damaged teeth, protect teeth from infection and damage, and even support dental bridges to replace missing teeth.
Traditional dental crowns from a dentist near you require at least two appointments separated by several weeks to allow your dentist to take impressions, dental technicians to create the crowns and to have those crowns placed over your teeth. There’s no disputing how versatile and potentially transformative crowns can be. On the other hand, there’s no disputing how inconvenient and frustrating the weeks-long process of getting dental crowns can be, too. Thankfully, your dentist in Grande Prairie can eliminate all that inconvenience by providing CEREC dental crowns near you — in a single appointment.
What are CEREC dental crowns?
The acronym CEREC is short for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. Rather than using traditional impression-making techniques to make moulds to guide the technicians’ creation of crowns, CEREC crowns are made possible through CAD (computer-aided design) and CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) technology. Your dentist will take digital images of your mouth and send those to a computer system in the office that will guide a milling machine. That milling machine will use CAM software to mill your dental crowns out of a block of ceramic material — while you wait in the office, scroll through your phone or, if you prefer, run a few errands nearby. Once the crowns have been milled, your dentist will confirm they fit properly before bonding them securely to your teeth.
The advantages and disadvantages of CEREC crowns
Like any medical or dental treatment option, there are advantages and disadvantages to obtaining CEREC dental crowns in Grande Prairie. Here’s an outline of a few of the pros and cons to help you decide if getting same-day crowns is right for you.
| Advantages of CEREC crowns | Disadvantages of CEREC crowns |
| Starting with the most obvious advantage, CEREC crowns are available in just a single appointment.
Getting same-day crowns will reduce the number of appointments you need to attend, reduce your out-of-pocket expenses and reduce the amount of time you’ll miss from work while visiting the dentist.
You’ll never have to wear temporary crowns for weeks while waiting for your permanent crowns to be prepared. Temporary crowns rarely fit properly and are often uncomfortable.
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The ceramic material from which CEREC crowns are made is not as strong as traditional metal crowns and porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns.
Traditional metal crowns are more fracture-resistant and durable than same-day CEREC crowns.
If your dentist in Grande Prairie has recommended that you get a dental crown because your tooth is fractured, CEREC crowns are not appropriate if that fracture extends below your gum line. Your dentist will recommend a traditional crown made from other materials instead. |
If you are curious about whether getting dental crowns in Grande Prairie is the right alternative for protecting and perfecting your teeth, make an arrangement with a dentist near you. Your dentist will carefully examine your teeth, gums and jaw to determine the underlying cause of your discoloured, misshapen, weakened or damaged tooth to determine if crowns can help. Ask your dentist what type of crown — traditional or same-day CEREC crowns — are the most appropriate ones to help you to meet your goals.