Restoration in a Rush: What's the Fastest Way to Get a Dental Crown?
How long does it usually take to receive a dental crown? This often depends on your dentist and the laboratory they use to make the crown. Your dentist will take the necessary impressions of your tooth (either digitally or by having you bite into a piece of dental putty), then they will use this data to fabricate the crown. In any event, you'll need to come back to have the crown fitted once it's ready. Of course, technology has a way of speeding things up (just compare dial-up internet with broadband internet). Anyone in need of a dental crown may want to ask their dentist about same-day crowns.
A Digital Impression of Your Tooth
A same-day crown involves a digital impression of the tooth in question. Essentially, your dentist performs a digital scan of the tooth, which registers its precise dimensions. Ordinarily, this information would be sent to a dental laboratory so that the crown can then be manufactured to the provided specifications. This isn't the case with a same-day crown.
Onsite Manufacturing of the Crown
The digital 3D impression of your tooth is used to mill a porcelain crown onsite. The process is somewhat similar to 3D printing. There's no difference in materials when compared to a dental restoration made at a laboratory. Your same-day crown will still be robust, tooth-coloured porcelain. While the dentist's own facilities are milling a small piece of porcelain into your new crown, your dentist will prepare your tooth.
Preparing the Tooth to Receive the Crown
A small amount of dental enamel must be removed from a tooth before the crown can be added. This is essential to prevent the restoration from being too bulky, which would exert excessive pressure on neighbouring teeth, can cause premature contact with the opposing tooth when your jaw is closed and may even lead to misalignment of your bite. With laboratory manufactured crowns, your dentist might prepare the tooth and apply a temporary acrylic crown, with the permanent crown added when it's ready. Of course, this is unnecessary when your crown is ready on the same day. By the time this enamel removal has been completed, your new crown can be immediately bonded onto the tooth.
Once the crown has been securely bonded, that's essentially it. A process that otherwise would have taken several visits to your dentist to achieve has been finished in a matter of hours.
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