What Are Lab-Made Crowns?
Lab-made crowns are, as the name suggests, made in a dental lab. First, we will call you in for an appointment to take digital or physical impressions of your teeth and these will be sent to the dental lab for fabrication.
First, we need to file down your tooth to prepare it for the crown. We will use a shade guide to match the shade of your crown to your natural teeth. This information will be sent along to the dental lab.
Since it will take a few weeks for your crown to be ready, we will need to protect your filed-down tooth with a temporary crown that will be removed once your official crown is ready.
After a few weeks, you will return for another appointment so we can check the fit of your crown and cement it in place. Lab-made crowns can be made of various durable and aesthetic materials, including metal, porcelain, zirconia, or porcelain-fused-to-metal.
What Are Same-Day Crowns?
Same-day crowns are dental crowns that are fabricated using CEREC technology. They are called same-day crowns because they can be designed, fabricated, and placed over your tooth all in the same appointment.
Your tooth will be prepared in the same way as it would for a lab-made crown. We will still need to file your tooth. Using Computer-Aided Design/Manufacturing Technology (CAD/CAM), we can take a 3D scan of your teeth to create a 3D model of your bite.
Using our design software, a 3D printed crown is milled out of a block of ceramic according to the precise parameters of your 3D scan. This entire process only takes about an hour and the result is a highly aesthetic and natural-looking tooth-colored crown that is even more precise than a lab-made crown.
Differences Between Lab-Made & Same-Day Crowns
The CEREC technology that is used to create same-day crowns eliminates the need for third parties, waiting times, temporary crowns, multiple appointments, and appointment-related costs. This ultimately makes CEREC crowns much more convenient and immediate, especially if you want a quick fix.
While the cost is usually comparable to lab-made crowns, because we cut down on a lot of third-party and appointment-related costs, it is often even more affordable. However, lab-made crowns are still more durable and last longer because they are made of stronger and longer-lasting materials.
CEREC crowns face some limitations because they are not suitable for everyone and can only be made out of ceramic. If you have a severely decayed or damaged tooth in the back of your mouth, a CEREC crown is not ideal.
It will not offer you great support or durability because it is made out of fragile materials and is mostly a cosmetic solution. The rear molars undergo more chewing forces and should be protected with more durable material like porcelain-fused-to-metal or zirconia, which is something you can only get from a lab-made crown.
Benefits of Choosing CEREC Crowns
CEREC crowns are overall more convenient, fast, affordable, and precise. CEREC crowns have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years which is comparable to lab-made porcelain crowns.
CAD/CAM technology which is used to take a digital scan of your teeth to create a 3D model enables us to take impressions of your teeth without uncomfortable impressions and it also enables us to be as accurate as possible because it is done by a machine instead of a human.
CEREC technology also creates the most aesthetic crowns by shade-matching with ultimate precision and designing your crown to meet the exact shape, size, and measurements of your tooth.
Schedule Your CEREC Crown Consultation Today!
If you’re wondering if CEREC crowns are right for you, then contact our Pasadena dentist at Blue Door Dental today to schedule same-day crown consultation.
