Dental crowns can be made from different materials with the most common being porcelain, a type of ceramic. In the past, these crowns required multiple visits as your impressions had to be sent out to a lab to custom-make your restoration.

Today, 3D digital images allow a machine to make your crown in-office in just minutes. This technology, called CEREC, has been in the making for more than three decades and offers patients the chance to restore their smile in less time than ever before [1].

But are same day dental crowns the right choice for you? Here’s how you can know.

Get Your Smile Back to Normal in Just One Appointment

If you want to get your permanent dental crown as soon as possible, same day dental crowns could be for you. With CEREC technology, you won’t need to make several appointments just to get one crown. Instead of a multi-step process that can be time-consuming, same day crowns offer the advantage of a streamlined process in just one appointment.

Same day crowns are ideal for people who want to get their smile restored as soon as possible, whether they simply don’t have the time to commit to several appointments for one restoration or they have an event coming up such as a graduation or a wedding.

Prevent Injury or Discomfort with Temporary Restorations

With traditional dental crowns, while you’re waiting for your permanent restoration to come in, a temporary one will be made and fitted to your smile [2]. Although temporary crowns are designed to protect teeth while the permanent crown is being made, they have a higher potential to not fit as well and may even fall out.

If you lose your temporary crown, your tooth is more at risk to experience damage without this protection. When you take advantage of CEREC technology, you get your permanent restoration that same day, therefore preventing the potential for injury or discomfort that can come with temporary restorations.

When Same Day Dental Crowns May Not Be Right for You

Same day dental crowns may not be for people who need a dental crown placed on a visible front tooth. This is because these restorations don’t allow for the same level of color specification as a lab-created traditional crown, so the tooth may not perfectly match the other teeth.

In addition, a CEREC restoration may not be possible if your tooth is fractured beneath the gumline, as the technology can’t quite capture images beneath your gum tissue, so you’d likely need to wait for a traditional dental crown.

During your consultation for dental crowns, your dentist can let you know if you’re a candidate for same day dental crowns and if they’re the right choice for your restoration. Ask your dentist if they use CEREC technology at their practice to get a permanent dental crown in just one appointment!

Sources:
1. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.452.1234&rep=rep1&type=pdf
2. http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/procedures/crowns/

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Studies Show Avoiding the Dentist Makes You Unhappier

Recent research has shown that people who avoid the dentist tend to be unhappier in their lives. This is because people who regularly skipped their dental appointments were more likely to have missing teeth, gum disease, and other oral health issues that impacted their day-to- day life.

The research also showed that people who neglected to care for their oral health were also more likely to have poorer overall health. People who have a healthy, beautiful smile are more likely to be happier and take better care of their bodies than people who don’t. This is why having your best smile is so important—not just for overall health, but for your happiness!

Research Proves Smiling Improves Your Mood

Studies have also proved that smiling—whether genuine or faked—can boost your mood and even your immune system. This is because the act of smiling releases endorphins, and your body can’t tell the difference between a real and a fake smile. People who smile more tend to be happier and more confident!

Unfortunately, people who are severely self-conscious of their smiles often avoid smiling altogether. Having oral health issues such as gum disease or tooth decay can progress if not treated. These problems often get to the point where your smile is compromised and you no longer feel comfortable showing your teeth. When you have a gorgeous smile, you can speak and laugh without holding back and enjoy the increased happiness that comes with it!

A Beautiful Smile Increases Success and Confidence

Often, self-esteem begins in childhood. While having an imperfect smile is considered cute among children, it can be hugely damaging to the image of an adult. Having a subpar smile can impact your success, confidence, and even your approachability. A beautiful smile can make you more attractive and appear more trustworthy and approachable. Your smile affects how people perceive you. A great smile can help you be more warm and open, while hiding your smile or having an unpleasant smile can lead people to be more distrusting or less attracted to you.

Don’t wait to get the smile of your dreams. With all the benefits a perfect smile offers you, why not see what can be improved? Maybe you need a simple whitening to help get your confidence back on track, or maybe you need more involved restorative work. Regardless, schedule a consultation with an experienced dentist to talk about your perfect smile!

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Aesthetics – A dental implant is designed to look just like the tooth that was lost. Painstaking care goes into shaping the crown to match the look and color of your other teeth. It’s obvious when a person is wearing dentures. Implants look far more natural, whether it is one tooth or entire mouth full of implants.

Feel – Dental implants feel more like a natural tooth. In fact, you may sometimes forget that one of your teeth is a replacement. It will not affect your ability to speak naturally, unlike dentures that may make a person unintelligible. Also, since the implants are screwed or cemented in, you don’t have to worry about glue weakening over the course of the day. They won’t fall out or slide out of position.

Durability – Dental implants are just about as tough as an actual tooth. As long as you keep your implants clean, you should never have a problem with them. At most, you may need an occasional adjustment. Plus, screw-in implants provide the added benefit of easy replacement. If you somehow do break a crown, the titanium implant will still be there, ready to accept a replacement.

Long-Lasting – Dentures are a short-term solution. The generally only last about five years, 10 at the most. Bridges last a little longer. Perhaps you’ll get 10-15 years out of those with proper care. Dental implants, however, are designed to last 25 years or more if well-cared for. In fact, if you take good care of your implants, you are likely only to need one set.

Before writing off dental implants as being too costly, consider the cost multiple sets of dentures as well as the cosmetic and practical advantages that implants have to offer. When it comes to matching the look and feel of your natural teeth, dental implants are the perfect replacement.

Whether you are missing one tooth or many, dental implants are an excellent long-term solution for ultimate smile restoration.

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Glancing at the photo to the left, what is the first thing you notice? Is it the sound structure of the walkway, or the fact that there are no missing bricks? It is unlikely that this is the case, as even the shortest of glances would immediately draw the eyes to the stark discoloration. You notice that it has been repaired, and that the grout surrounding the repairs is a different color than older, undamaged brickwork. Although the walkway is structurally sound, a first impression is created around the walkway’s less than pleasing aesthetic.

Appearances are extremely powerful. Just as eyes immediately gravitate toward differences among the bricks, the same rings true for our smiles. Now and again we require our teeth to be repaired or replaced due to injury, decay, or infection. When teeth need to be replaced or require new crowns, it is important for the resulting smile to appear as natural as possible. Matching surrounding teeth can be a challenge, and a perfect match is often difficult for even the most seasoned dentist. To ensure the best match possible for the most natural looking aesthetic, it is crucial to place your trust in a dentist with a proven record of excellence.

Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that if complex dental restorations on multiple
teeth are necessary, spreading treatments out over several months or years may not be the best option for your smile. If even the same dentist does the procedures over an extended period of time, matching adjacent teeth may become far more challenging. While you may initially desire to spread the work out for financial reasons, it is important to discuss these challenges with your dentist to ensure the best aesthetic result for your rejuvenated smile. Matching repaired or replaced teeth with the rest of the smile is the key to creating the right first impression.

Before: A dentist attempted to restore the two teeth on her right with porcelain to match the two natural teeth on her left. The color match and the angles of the teeth were less than ideal.

After: Two new porcelain crowns matched the colors and shapes of the natural teeth. The black triangle” between the two front teeth was reduced in size.

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