Dental Crowns
So what do you know about dental crowns, those tooth-shaped caps that fit over broken teeth? You probably know that they require at least two visits. First, the dentist numbs the area and repairs the tooth, then files it down to make room for the crown. Then, you bite down on a goop-filled tray to make an impression of the tooth to send to a lab. The tooth is covered with a ‘temporary’ while you wait for your crown. Two weeks of not eating anything hard or sticky later, you return for a second appointment. The dentist numbs the area, removes the temporary and cements the crown in place. Sounds fun right? Not so much! Well for many patients this may now be a thing of the past. New technology has produced a better way to make crowns, and Dental Designs of White Marsh joins as one of the 15% of dental practices who use CAD/CAM — computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing — to create a crown chairside. In about the same time as a traditional crown appointment, a beautiful tooth colored crown can be designed, milled, and cemented into place. No second visits which means less needles, less pain, less time! And to cap all of this off, these services bring no additional cost to the patient. “CAD/CAM dentistry has existed for over two decades, but the technology has finally reached a point that allows us to provide the patient a seamless chairside experience while creating crowns that match or exceed the quality, strength, and beauty of those made in a traditional dental lab. We are thrilled to offer this service to the White Marsh, Perry Hall, and Nottingham community.” says Dr. Liangkai Weng. Dental Designs of White Marsh is also excited to announce that we are the first office in Maryland to have the new Sirona SpeedFire, a sintering furnace that heats to an incredible 1500° C (that’s 2732° F!). The SpeedFire allows us to make crowns several times stronger than traditional porcelain and has an even more precise fit because of how thin the crown can be milled while retaining its strength. Even better, because of the strength of these new crowns, a more conservative preparation can be done which means less drilling! We are the first office in Maryland to offer this amazing technology.
Interested in how the dental crown process works?
The process starts similarly to before, the area is numbed and the tooth is prepared for the crown. But instead of making an impression of the tooth, we use an intraoral camera to render a three-dimensional image of the prepared tooth. This scan is processed by a sophisticated computer algorithm that uses your existing teeth to predict the ‘perfect’ shape for your crown. This information is then transmitted to a machine that mills the crown from a tooth block. This block is then placed into our SpeedFire furnace and twenty minutes later, you have a perfect fitting new crown ready to insert. Of course most of this work happens behind the scenes, so while you’re waiting for your new crown feel free to get a coffee at our Keurig bar, read a magazine, or request a movie on Netflix to watch in the room! Dental Designs of White Marsh is proud to be the first office in Maryland to offer this new technology, as we pride ourselves on providing cutting edge dental care in a caring, patient-centric environment. Come see us today!