A guide to CEREC one-visit dental crowns: Supporting new heights of convenience, patient satisfaction

Alpine Family Dental supports patients’ “peak” oral health. Led by Drs Evan Olson, Autumn Chapman, and Greg Eller, our team in Kalispell, Montana, restores and sustains such healthy, stunning smiles with a blend of investments in sophisticated dental technologies and the training to power them. Patients appreciate the convenience, comfort, and quality associated with tech-powered onsite capabilities like CEREC crowns. 

What is CEREC? 

CEREC stands for: 

• C – Chairside
• E – Economical 
• R – Restoration of
• E – Esthetic 
• C – Ceramic

We know that is a lot to take in, but this generally refers to a process whereby dental crowns are made in just one visit. The typical approach requires at least two visits. Our team can make restorations like crowns “chairside” or while you wait because we have the technologies in-house to complete every part of the process ourselves – without enlisting the help of an offsite dental lab. This approach also helps to support the ultimate in quality control. Our CEREC crowns are made from highly esthetic dental ceramics. These restorations are built to last, making them a terrific value!

How does CEREC work?

If one of our dentists determines that crowns are the appropriate way to restore your damaged tooth, we use specialized tools to scan your mouth accurately. We then transform these scans into three-dimensional models with proprietary software. These models are used to precisely design your lovely and ultra-strong crown. The crown design is then used as a guide for our in-house milling machine. This machine shapes and fabricates the crown out of a block of high-performance ceramic. Once the crown is done (in a matter of minutes!), we cement it to the tooth that has been slightly reduced, and otherwise “prepared” to accept the crown that fits on top of it. This is our hassle-free way to give your tooth a fresh start and a second chance. 

Why are CEREC crowns an attractive alternative to other dentists’ approaches?

At other dental offices, the process of getting a crown largely involves two phases and at least two appointments. The first appointment is about preparing the remaining tooth structure and the permanent crown. Information about the tooth is collected, which is often done using goopy, messy impressions. This info is then sent to a lab that may be far from Kalispell, Montana, or the U.S., for that matter. You then wait a couple of weeks before the crown is made before returning to the office. During that time, a fragile and breakage-prone temporary crown is worn to protect the prepared natural tooth. 

At your return visit, the temporary is removed, and the permanent crown is placed. If the crown doesn’t fit right, it has to be re-made. The clock starts all over again. At Alpine Family Dental, in the rare event that crowns need to be re-done, we can do them in moments from our onsite lab. Refinements can be completed in no time, and cutting-edge features like digital scans minimize the “human error” often associated with conventional crown-making techniques. Call (406) 393-8877 with questions or to schedule your appointment today.

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