How Much Time Can a CEREC Restoration Save Me?

Your time is precious, so consider getting a CEREC restoration if you need a dental crown. Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramics, or CEREC, can be completed in a single visit. When you leave the dentist’s office, your permanent restoration will be cemented in place. Get the details on how much time you will save with CEREC.

Comparing the time between dental crowns

To understand how much time people save with CEREC® crowns, it is critical to compare this restoration to traditional crowns. In the past, people were only able to get traditional crowns. That required a time commitment that caused some people to get teeth extracted instead. Now, people can save time with same-day crowns. The time saved is calculated based on the length of the procedure and the number of visits required.

How long do CEREC restorations take?

When people hear that CEREC restorations take a single day, many expect to spend the full day at the dental office. These restorations can be placed in two hours or less. Dentists prepare the tooth, take digital impressions and create the model. The model is sent to a milling machine and fabricated within minutes. Then, the crown is placed.

How long do traditional crowns take?

Traditional crowns require two appointments. During the first appointment, the dentist prepares the tooth and takes an impression, using a putty-like material. The dentist places a temporary crown to protect the tooth until the permanent crown arrives from the dental laboratory. The crown should stay on until the permanent crown is placed.

Temporary crowns are not very durable, so patients have to be extra careful. Patients should not eat on the side of the mouth with the temporary crown. If it does fall out, they must go to the dentist to get it replaced. This takes yet another visit to the dental office. That adds to the time it takes to get a traditional crown.

The dental laboratory might take two weeks or longer to fabricate the crown. Then, the patient returns to the office to get the temporary crown removed and the permanent one placed. By the time the procedure is finished, the patient has spent around two weeks getting a dental crown. Compare that to a single day for CEREC crowns, and it is easy to see that same-day crowns save lots of time and require fewer trips to the dentist.

Choosing a CEREC crown

If you want to save time on your dental restoration, a CEREC crown might be right for you. Your dentist will examine your tooth to determine if you are a good candidate for a CEREC crown. If you are, your dentist will prepare your tooth, take an impression and fabricate the crown in a single visit. You will leave the office with your new restoration and will not have to come back for your crown. You will save lots of time when restoring your smile with this dental procedure.

Request an appointment here: or call Gilroy Dental Associates at (408) 842-2818 for an appointment in our Gilroy office.

Check out what others are saying about our services on Yelp: Read our Yelp reviews.