One-Visit Crowns
One-Visit Dental Crowns (CEREC® Technology) in Newport News, Virginia
Today’s modern technology actually allows crowns to be made in just one appointment! In prior years a crown was made by preparing a tooth, making an impression, and sending the impression to the lab so the permanent crown could be made. During the week or two while the crown was being made, a patient would wear a temporary crown, which was susceptible to breaking or coming off early. Once the permanent crown was ready, the patient would return to have it cemented in place. However, now there’s an easier way, sometimes referred to as a one-visit crown.
After a tooth is prepared for a crown, a series of images is made, then the images are used with a computer program that allows the crown to be designed virtually. When the design is complete, the information is sent to a milling chamber, which turns a block of porcelain into the new crown. The crown is polished, cemented and adjusted, and the treatment is complete – all in just one visit!
There are several advantages to one-visit crowns. First, this approach does not require any impressions. Secondly, no temporary crowns are required, which is a great convenience, since it can sometimes be hard for patients to keep temporary crowns in place. Finally, since treatment is accomplished in just one visit, patients save time.
Not all crowns are best made in one visit. Sometimes a particular situation is best treated by a laboratory-processed crown. However, when one-visit crowns are feasible, they are a great convenience for both patient and dentist alike!
