What are CEREC Dental Crowns

Everyone likes to have a pretty smile, but not all of us are born with good teeth. Dental crowns are one of the most affordable aesthetic procedures available for your teeth, and CEREC crowns, a new crown technology, are taking the dental world by storm. Let’s take a look.

What are dental crowns?

A traditional dental crown is a small toothlike ‘cap’ that is placed over a fully stabilized and treated tooth. It hides a cracked, chipped, or broken tooth, and can also help preserve more of the natural tooth by protecting it. They’re made of a variety of materials, but must be custom-made for your mouth and can take up to two weeks before installation, which is a bit tricky if you have a business image to maintain.

How are CEREC crowns different?

CEREC crowns, also called same-day crowns, use computer-aided design programs to capture the shape of the tooth (instead of traditional molding) and allow a crown to be created for you right in the dental office. Think of it as a type of 3D printing.

This means it can be installed there and then, and there’s no lengthy weight. As the CEREC crown doesn’t have a metal core, it can also look more natural. There’s also some preliminary data that suggests they’re stronger over time, although it’s still a new technology.

This fact is one of the only downsides to CEREC crowns over normal dental crowns. Not all dental offices are able to offer them, as the tech is new and not everyone is trained in them, meaning they can also be a little bit pricier than standard crowns.

All the same, if you have the option to get a ‘chairside’ CEREC crown installed, it’s well worth considering as a fast and effective way to brighten your smile and boost your confidence.