If you’re like most people in Oklahoma City, you welcome 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 treatments, convenience means the fewest visits possible. Hopefully, only one visit.
Let’s consider dental crowns, for example. Most people 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 entire visible portion of a tooth and can correct a weakened 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 standard 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 take 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 produced. This could take a couple 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 appointment systems. The brand names are CEREC and E4D. Both systems use CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) to design and construct 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 scans 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 actually construct the restoration. That is what the CAM machine does. CAM is the milling process, in which small bit-like device power at extremely high speeds to chisel a custom-fitting crown out of a small brick of ceramic.
6 Steps For a One Visit Dental Crown
Here is a recap of the entire same-day dental crown operation:
- Tooth Preparation. Your dentist will prepare the site for your crown by clearing away cavities or portions of the damaged tooth.
- Intraoral Scanning. Next, your dental professional will use an optical scanner to create a 3-D rendering of the damaged tooth and surrounding teeth.
- Restoration Design. With the 3-D images, the dentist will use CAD software to design the final restoration.
- Milling. A milling machine uses the 3-D scan and precisely carves the crown from a single ceramic block.
- 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.
- Cementation. Finally, the restoration is permanently attached in your mouth. (Colgate.com)
Did we mention that this takes place in one same-day procedure?
Need a dental crown? Call us today to book an appointment.
Contact OKC Smiles:
405-634-7303
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
13900 S Western Ave, Suite 300
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
73170
