Traditionally, it has taken several visits to the dentist over several weeks to have a tooth fully fixed if it became seriously cracked, chipped, or worn down and needed a crown to protect it (a cap that looks like the top of a tooth). That may have meant taking off time from work or finding a babysitter or someone to pick up kids after school, then driving to the dental office multiple times.
The core problem was that dentists could not actually create a crown, they needed to take a physical impression of the patient’s problem tooth and send it out to a dental laboratory to be crafted on its special equipment.
Fortunately, a few dental practices, including Pacific Dental Care, have advanced equipment that makes it possible to provide a customized crown out of dental porcelain within a couple of hours during a single visit, at less cost than sending the case to a lab. Dr. Marine is a recognized expert at using this CEREC system (short for Chairside Economical Restoration of Aesthetic Ceramics).
She will first use a special infrared camera to capture a digital impression of the damaged tooth, then CEREC’s CAD/CAM computer will produce a digital model for the crown that will match the size, shape, and color of the tooth that will be capped.
The next step will be to send the image to our in-office milling machine, which will carve the crown out of dental porcelain. Finally, she will polish, stain, and glaze it, then put it in a furnace to harden and strengthen the crown.
The area where this will be fitted will have already been prepared (including shaving off a bit of neighboring tooth, if necessary) and the crown will be ready to place over the damaged tooth and adjusted to be comfortable for you.
You can then leave the office ready to eat and speak normally. No temporary crown and careful chewing for weeks. No need to make arrangements for multiple visits. No numbing again while you sit in the dental chair. No further damage to an unprotected tooth. No wondering when you will see how the crown looks and how it will fit. You are back at home or the office within a few hours, smiling with confidence, as if you never had a dental problem.
If you believe you could benefit from having a personalized dental crown for one or more of your teeth, call us today to set an appointment with our Glendale and Burbank dentist, Dr. Marine, for a complete examination.