CEREC Crowns

Thanks to advancements in dental technology, you only have to visit the dentist once when you need a crown. Our Green Bay, WI, dentist, Dr. John Fay of Fay Dental Care, explains how the CEREC crown process works.

What is the difference between traditional and CEREC crowns?

If you need a traditional porcelain crown, you must visit the dentist twice. During the first visit, your tooth is prepared for the crown and an impression of your mouth is made, usually with soft dental putty.

In the past, crowns were made with porcelain, metal alloys, gold and other materials. Although these types of crowns offer excellent durability, they can only be created by specially trained dental technicians. Creating crowns the old-fashioned way takes time. In most cases, you have to wait at least two weeks for the technicians to finish your crown. In the meantime, you must wear a temporary crown that can be loosened or broken if you eat hard or sticky foods. When you return for your second visit, the temporary crown is replaced with your permanent restoration.

The CEREC crown process doesn’t require the services of a dental lab or temporary crowns. In fact, your crown is created in our Green Bay office. You can forget about messy impressions too. The CEREC system relies on digital images of your mouth, not impressions. Immediately after the image is taken, it will appear on a digital screen. Using CAD/CAM technology, we’ll use the image to design your new crown, then send it to the milling machine, which acts as a high-tech crown printer.

The machine creates your crown out of a block of resin or ceramic. Once your crown is ready, the fit is checked, adjustments are made, and the restoration is cemented in your mouth.

Why do I need a CEREC crown?

CEREC crowns offer many benefits. They’re frequently used to:

• Stabilize and protect fragile or cracked teeth
• Restore damaged teeth
• Protect teeth that have been weakened due to large fillings or root canals
• Change the appearance of teeth and cover chips, discolorations and other flaws

CEREC crowns eliminate the middle man and save you time. If you would like to learn if a CEREC crown is right for you, call Green Bay, WI, dentist, Dr. Fay of Fay Dental Care, at (920) 497-1566 to schedule an appointment.