Walk in with a broken tooth. Walk out with the finished crown.
A traditional crown takes two appointments three weeks apart, with a temporary in between that can come loose at the worst moment. CEREC compresses that into one visit.
Digital scan, on-screen design, milled in the office, bonded the same afternoon.
A traditional crown takes two appointments and two to three weeks apart, with a temporary crown in between that can come loose at the worst possible moment. CEREC compresses all of that into a single visit using a digital scan and an in-office milling unit.
A small camera captures your tooth in three dimensions. No impression tray, no putty, nothing to gag on.
The crown is designed on screen against your actual bite — shape, contours and contact points — while you sit there.
A solid block of dental ceramic is milled into your crown in the office. This is the part where most patients read or answer email.
We check the fit and the bite, characterise the shade to match its neighbours, and bond it permanently. You leave with the finished tooth.
A crown covers and holds together a tooth that cannot survive on a filling alone: a large old filling that has cracked, a fractured cusp, a tooth after root canal therapy, or a tooth worn down by grinding. It is also what goes on top of a dental implant.
Not every broken tooth needs a crown. If a bonded filling or an onlay would do the job while preserving more of your own tooth, that is what we will recommend.
Where a lab still wins: for front teeth in a demanding cosmetic case, a skilled ceramist layering porcelain by hand can achieve a translucency that machine-milled ceramic cannot always match. When that is the better result for you, we will say so and take the two visits.
Around two hours from start to finish, including the milling time. You stay in the practice throughout, and much of it is waiting rather than treatment.
Yes. They are milled from a solid block of high-strength ceramic, which has no layering weaknesses. For back teeth in particular, that solid structure is an advantage.
A crown is a crown as far as your plan is concerned — coverage is the same whether it is milled here or in a lab. We will verify your benefits and tell you your portion before we begin.
We select the ceramic block to your shade and characterise and glaze the crown before bonding. For a back tooth the match is effectively invisible; for a front tooth we take extra time on it, or recommend a lab crown if that is the better result.
The same as any well-made crown — commonly 10 to 15 years and often longer. Longevity comes down to keeping the margin clean and protecting it if you grind at night.
Same-day crown appointments take about two hours. Ask the front desk for a morning slot.
Request Appointment (408) 241-4111Same-week appointments are often available. Most dental insurances accepted, with flexible payment plans for patients without insurance.