Dental crowns in Oshawa are frequently used to help restore smiles and protect teeth. You may already have one or two crowns or know you will likely need one soon. You may be offered a traditional or same-day crown and might wonder about their differences.
Read on to discover more about the difference between traditional and same-day crowns and how each could help you.
Why Would I Need a Crown?
A crown is designed to completely cover or cap a tooth down to the gumline. You may need a crown if you have any of the following problems including:
- Severe tooth decay where a filling wouldn’t be strong enough to restore the tooth.
- Restoring a tooth after root canal therapy.
- To secure a dental dental bridge using a natural tooth for support.
- To cover a dental implant in Whitby.
The process of having a traditional or same-day crown is largely similar, but there are some differences.
The Process for a Traditional Crown
With a traditional crown, our dentist will first need to prepare your tooth, carefully shape it, remove all the damaged portions, and ensure the crown can fit nicely without feeling too big and bulky.
The next stage is to make a dental impression. Margolian Dentistry uses a digital handheld scanner instead of a tray impression. The scanner takes thousands of images of your tooth and digitally stitches them together to create a 3-D digital model.
Our on-site dental technicians use the digital scan to custom-make your new crown. We work with our lab to ensure the new restoration is in the right shade and designed to look and feel natural. Traditional crowns can be made from a variety of different materials, including the latest all ceramics as well as precious metal alloys.
While the crown is made, we cover your prepared tooth with a temporary crown. A temporary crown is more fragile, so you must take extra care to avoid damaging or dislodging it. When your traditional crown is ready, you return to our dental office so we can fit it and cement it in place.
The Process for a Same-Day Crown
The process for a same-day crown is largely similar. We still prepare your tooth, take a digital scan, and then use the scan to design your crown.
The next part of the process is different, as our on-site milling machine will mill your crown while you wait from a solid block of pre-shaded ceramic material. All same-day crowns are made from this ceramic material. It doesn’t take very long to mill the crown. Once it is ready, it is hand-finished and characterized before being glazed and polished so it is ready to fit on the same day.
Is One Type of Crown Better Than the Other?
Traditional and same-day crowns are both high-quality, precision-made restorations. Both types of crowns are designed to provide natural-looking, strong teeth. The obvious advantage of a same-day crown is that you won’t need a second visit.
Often, a same-day crown in Ajax can be an excellent choice. However, there may be times when we recommend a more traditional approach, allowing more time for our skilled dental lab to create a custom smile.
This can be useful if you require multiple dental crowns or when combining crowns with other restorations like bridges or veneers. In this case, we would need to spend extra time ensuring all the restorations blend in perfectly and provide you with excellent aesthetic results.
