Get A Crown In A Day
CEREC stands for “Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic.” Don’t let the complex language confuse you. It’s quite simple. CEREC is a method of using CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Design/Manufacturing) to create dental crowns in just a few minutes at Tuttle Family Dentistry.
Using CEREC, you can get a crown in just one day. This is in contrast with lab-made crowns, which must be built at an outside facility and sent back to our office for final placement. This requires at least 2 appointments and includes a waiting period of up to 2-3 weeks.
With CEREC, you avoid waiting entirely, and you can completely restore a damaged or decayed tooth in just a single 1-2 hour appointment at our Colorado Springs dental office. Contact us now to schedule an appointment and get started right away.
With CEREC technology, we can provide immediate care, which is particularly good if you have a dental emergency. If you break a tooth or lose a crown, you can just give us a call at (719) 282-6636, schedule an appointment, and restore your smile immediately. This gives you relief from your pain and discomfort and helps prevent further complications.
There’s no need for messy dental impressions using putty since a 3D scanner is used to take digital impressions of your tooth. The CEREC process is also much more convenient if you have a busy schedule since it takes just a single 1-2 hour appointment instead of two appointments over a period of several weeks.
To begin the process, your mouth will be cleaned and numbed, and you can also choose to opt into sedation. Then, Dr. Colt or Dr. Tuttle will drill away any damaged enamel from your tooth, and scan it using a hand-held 3D CEREC scanner.
The scan from this device will then be uploaded into a computer, where your CEREC crown will be designed by Dr. Colt or Dr. Tuttle. Once the design has been finalized, a small piece of tooth-colored porcelain is loaded into a small automated milling machine in our office. This machine follows the design instructions to sculpt a porcelain crown out of the block in just a few minutes.
Finally, Dr. Colt or Dr. Tuttle will remove the crown from the CEREC machine, and make sure it fits your tooth. If the fit is perfect, they will bond it into place permanently with dental cement, completing the procedure.
Although CEREC crowns are faster, more comfortable, and less invasive than lab-made crowns, we recognize that some people may still be nervous about getting a crown. That’s why we offer sedation for all of our patients in Colorado Springs!
Our options included gas-based nitrous oxide (laughing gas) sedation and pill-based oral conscious sedation. Each type of sedation has different advantages and drawbacks, and you will need to consult with our team to discuss your health history before being approved for sedation. Contact us today to get started, and ensure you stay comfortable while you get a CEREC crown in Colorado Springs.