Same-Day Dental Crowns | All About Dentistry

What is a Dental Crown?

As the name suggests, a dental crown is a type of restoration that is placed over a damaged or severely weakened tooth like a cap to restore its shape, strength and function. Dental crowns distribute and disperse forces on the tooth much more evenly as opposed to a standard filling, preventing potential fractures or loss of tooth structure during daily function.

Tooth crowns can be made from a variety of different material choices depending on what works for the patient’s needs. They are split into two main categories: metal and ceramic. Ceramics are tooth-coloured, with some special ceramics achieving life-like colours and translucencies making them indistinguishable from adjacent natural teeth.

What is the Process of Getting a Tooth Crown?

Generally, the standard process of getting a dental crown requires a minimum of two appointments on different days. The first will be to have the tooth prepared and shaved down to allow proper fitting and retention of the dental crown. An impression (digital or physical) of how the tooth looks and fits with the other teeth in the mouth will be made to ensure accuracy in crown design and production. However, for practices that do not have the equipment available to make tooth crowns, you will have to wait a minimum of two weeks before it can be fitted. Additionally, certain materials such as metal can only be made by a dental lab. In the meantime, a temporary tooth crown is placed in the same appointment, so you do not have to worry about walking out with an oddly shaped tooth.

Same-Day Dental Crown Services

With the introduction of digital scanners and in-practice milling machines, same-day tooth crowns are now an available option for those who want to skip the wait, preventing the hassle of having to come back a few weeks later to have the crown fitted. Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing, also known as CAD/CAM, has become a highly advanced and effective method of crown design. In conjunction with rapid advancements in digital scanning technology, they have allowed for the creation of incredibly accurate dental crowns down to the nanometre.

Digital Scanning & AI Dental Modelling

Digital scanning has revolutionised the way we create model and visualise models. In the past, putty impressions were the only way to create physical models of people’s teeth. With the introduction of digital scanners, we can now create 3D models using advanced AI that rearrange the thousands of intraoral photos the scanner takes to correctly map out a detailed model. This process is quick and comfortable. We can forgo the uncomfortable and gag-inducing experience of the cold, wet and messy putty impression material. Other than tooth crowns, digital scanning is useful for implants, splints, dentures and orthodontics.

Same-day crown procedure with CEREC

Advantages of Same-Day Tooth Crowns

Instantly achieve optimal function/aesthetics: Temporary tooth crowns may not offer the best aesthetics, shape or function as they are generally based on what the original tooth was shaped like. Although they can still be modified for improvement, it is a time-consuming process for something that will soon be replaced with a more permanent crown.
Avoid unnecessary revisits: Temporary crowns can fracture or break off the tooth, a rare occurrence but not unexpected. Compared to the final crown, the material and shape of the temporary crowns will not match its strength and retention. A timely emergency visit to the dentist will be necessary to fix the temporary crown in these cases.
Avoid the risk of sensitivity/discomfort: Temporary crowns may not be able to achieve a complete seal around the tooth, and some margins may be exposed and can become sensitive.

Disadvantages of Same-Day Tooth Crowns

Limited choice of materials: Same-day crowns are limited to ceramic materials. Although they are more aesthetically pleasing than their metallic counterparts such as gold, they may not be as durable. Metal crowns may be more indicated for certain cases where strength is of utmost importance.
Generally limited to straightforward cases: Some complex cases may require technicians extra days to finish the job in order to achieve the best result, making same-day dental crown solutions unviable in certain situations.