Who Needs a Temp Crown? We Make Crowns in a Day
Maintaining healthy teeth and gums takes effort. Despite vigilant at-home oral care and routine professional dental cleanings and checkups, most of us will still get cavities or issues like cracked or damaged teeth. For some of us, our dental issues will lead to losing teeth. In fact, about 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth, while an estimated 40 million Americans are missing all of their teeth.
The good news is that over the years, technological advances have armed today’s dentists with many restorative treatment solutions that not only address oral maladies but also make it happen with a focus on patient comfort and convenience—case in point: dental crowns.
If you’ve ever had a tooth restored with a traditional dental crown, you’re familiar with the hassle of scheduling multiple appointments and dealing with a temporary crown while waiting for your permanent one to come back from the dental laboratory.
Say goodbye to waiting and worrying. AnnMarie Olson DDS PA, located in Austin, TX, offers CAD/CAM: same-day crowns.
Traditional versus CAD/CAM same-day crowns
Before we can tout the benefits of same-day crowns, let’s first review what a dental crown is and why you’d need one. A crown is a customized “cap” that serves as a versatile solution to address issues like cracked, damaged, discolored, or misshapen teeth. They not only restore a weakened tooth but also enhance its appearance and shape. In the case of missing teeth, crowns are placed along with a dental bridge or dental implant to replace the missing teeth.
There are two general categories of dental crowns — traditional and same-day crowns. Getting a conventional crown generally plays out throughout two or three appointments. The first visit is all about preparing the affected tooth and taking an impression or mold of your tooth and mouth so a permanent crown can be created.
Specifically, Dr. Olson files down a little of the enamel so the crown fits properly, ensuring it looks natural against your other teeth aesthetically. After this prep step, he places a temporary crown, and you’ll return for your final appointment when the permanent crown returns from the dental laboratory.
Immediate restoration without the hassle of temporaries
Dr. Olson provides patients added convenience and comfort by offering the ultimate one-and-done restorative treatment, placing crowns in one visit using advanced CAD/CAM technology. As with traditional crowns, she prepares the affected tooth by shaving off or reducing its size slightly to accommodate the crown.
Dr. Olson’s office is equipped with a 3D scanner, so she can also make digital molds rather than using the goopy, messy, and typically uncomfortable way of making dental impressions. And as if that weren’t enough, with the use of CAD/CAM technology, we’re able to mill your permanent crown onsite. That’s right — no multiple appointments, no goop, and no temporary crowns to deal with.
Natural-looking and long-lasting.
One of the best things about dental crowns is that they’re virtually undetectable against your neighboring teeth. It’s all about the material used to make crowns and the provider’s ability to color match. Dr. Olson uses porcelain to fabricate crowns. They have the same natural luminosity as natural teeth, and before milling your custom crown, Dr. Olson selects a shade to match your other teeth.
With proper at-home oral care like brushing and flossing, as well as regular dental cleanings and checkups at least once every six months, your new crown can last up to 15 years. To extend the longevity of your crown, Dr. Olson recommends avoiding hard foods like hard candies and unpopped popcorn kernels.
To find out if same-day dental crowns are right for you, call the office directly at 512-212-5231, or request a session via email at appointments@annmarieolsondds.com.
