One of the most common questions patients asked Dr. Hanigofsky, a dentist located in Hickory, NC, concerns the differences between the traditional multiple-day dental crown process and the same day dental crown process. Although both will result in a color-matching crown you can be proud to show off, there are reasons a patient may prefer one process over another. This article shares more information about the two dental crown methods to help you discover which process is the best for your smile and your wallet.
Who Is a Candidate for Dental Crowns?
Before getting into how a dental crown is made, it may be helpful to understand why a crown may be recommended. Have you fallen and chipped your front tooth or crunched down too hard while eating and broken off a piece of your molar? Dentists place crowns over broken, misshapen, or damaged teeth to restore their shape and color allowing the individual to both eat more comfortably and smile more confidently. Additionally, there are many other occasions when crowns may be useful, such as an anchor for a bridge or implant.
What is the Traditional Crown Making Process?
If you require a dental crown, patients at Dental Health Concepts generally have two options, a two-visit method and a same day dental crown process. For the traditional multiple-visit crown method, here is what you can expect at Hickory Dentist by Dental Health Concepts. On your first visit, a member of our team will take a scan of the area to see if there are additional dental concerns present that may alter your treatment plan. Any dental work needed to provide a secure and stabilizing surface for the crown will need to be performed at this time. Then, an impression will be made for your crown before a temporary crown will be placed.
The reason the traditional method takes two visits and the placement of a temporary crown is your impression will be sent off to a laboratory of experts who carefully and painstakingly craft your permanent crown to mirror the lines, color, and patterns of your original tooth. This means your smile will show the work of people who know how to capture the appearance of a tooth in a way that makes it uniquely yours. During the second visit, Dr. Hanigofsky or Dr. Powell will replace your temporary crown with the artisan crown from the lab.
How is the Same Day Crown Method Different?
The main difference between a traditional crown-making method where the impression is sent to a lab and a same day crown method where the crown is crafted in-house is you only need one appointment for the same day crowns. The appearance down to the shaping of the unique coloration, lines, and ridges that make the crown blend beautifully with your natural smile will be produced by a highly trained crown artisan using a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) & Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) device. Also, instead of requiring an impression (that putty-like substance in a tray that sits over your teeth for a moment) that is sent off to a lab, a digital scan will be used to directly mill the matching patterns, crevices, lines, and coloration of the crown by a machine in-house. In other words, this crown will closely resemble your tooth including the fine details. Your permanent crown will then be placed over your existing tooth within the same visit.
Are Traditional Two Day Crowns Better Than Same Day Crowns?
Generally speaking, both methods produce similar outcomes in appearance and durability thanks to the level of training and experience the Dental Health Concepts team applies when using the highly sophisticated crown-producing technology. While this equipment has been available for decades, Dr. Powell first brought the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) & Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) device to the practice when he believed the results could match that of the trusted crown craftsmanship found at the Dental Health Concepts’ laboratory partners.
Do Same Day Crowns Cost More?
Although it is important to check with your insurance company and dental office for a pricing comparison, most people find the two methods to be similar in terms of financial cost. This is because the same day crowns are produced solely in-house without the need for outsourcing to a third-party laboratory. Also, you are paying for only one office visit and you are receiving more time to spend at work. As a result, a same day crown is especially cost-effective and helpful for those who find it challenging to take time off from work or other responsibilities.
Therefore, since both methods will restore your tooth to its natural beauty and give you back that confident smile, the decision to use a same day crown method over a traditional crown-making method ultimately may come down to the dentist’s recommendation and patient convenience. For those who qualify for same day dental crowns, Dr. Hanigofsky and Dr. Powell are proud to offer this innovative technology to pass along the cost savings of crafting the crown in-house from start to finish within the same visit. If you live in or are traveling to the general Hickory area in the foothills of North Carolina and would like to set up a dental consultation, contact Dr. Powell’s office using our online form or call the office directly at (828) 322-2133.