Category Archives: CEREC crowns

CEREC crowns

Crowns without a temporary

I needed to get a dental crown. My temporary crown has fallen off. Of course, my know it all sister told me if I’d have gotten a cerec crown I wouldn’t have needed a temporary to begin with.  I’m sure she’d correct (she always seems to be), but can you tell me what this cerec thing is?

Nate- Boston

Nate,

I have a sister like that. As much as I hate to tell you this, she is right. CEREC crowns are milled at your appointment by a computer. They’re generally ready in about twenty minutes.

Because they’re done by computer, they generally will fit better as well.  You’ll have to find a dentist who uses CEREC technology.

Hopefully, your current dentist took care of your temporary crown.  You don’t want to leave that off because it can throw off your bite and your permanent crown won’t fit.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

 

CEREC crowns

CEREC verses Porcelain Crowns

Which crowns are better, cerec or porcelain crowns?

Elaina- Bayonne, NJ

Elaina,

CEREC crowns are a type of porcelain crown.  I wouldn’t say that one is better than the other. The biggest benefit to a CEREC crown is really in its convenience.  Because they are milled by a computer, you can have your CEREC crown done the same day as your initial appointment, saving you coming in a second time. You also won’t have to wear a temporary crown.

If you decided not to get a CEREC crown, you’ll want to make sure you get all porcelain crowns and not porcelain fused to metal crowns.  Because of their metal foundation, those type of crowns have to be made a little opaque.  They also develop a gray line at your gumline over time.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

CEREC crowns

Pain with CEREC Crown

I had a cerec crown put in and since then I have had a lot of pain when biting down on this tooth. I’ve been back twice for my dentist to readjust the bite. After the second time when I told him I was still having a problem he said it was because of the way I chew. If that is the case then why didn’t it hurt before I had the crown when I chewed?

Frustrated and in pain.

I can understand your frustration. I don’t believe the pain is from your chewing. In general, there are two main reasons for you to have pain while chewing with a crown.

The first is if the crown is too high. There are a couple of things that make me think this is unlikely. First,  CEREC crowns are milled by a computer which is more precise in its construction, therefore you have less chance of a  poor fit. Secondly, your dentist has already adjusted it twice.

Another possible reason for the pain you are experiencing is you could have an infection. I’d get an x-ray done to eliminate that possibility (though it seems the more likely of the two). However, if you’re not confident in your doctor’s diagnostic ability, then I would go to a root canal specialist to have your x-ray done.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

CEREC crowns

Rough crown

I had a cerec crown put in and on the follow up visit my dentist accidentally damaged it. he said that wouldn’t be a problem because he saved everything on the computer and could just make another one and gave me a temp crown. the problem is the new crown seems rough. i think i remember my first cerec crown being really smooth like glass. i was happy about that because it reminded me of my regualar tooth. do you think my dentist is pulling a fast one on me and not putting a new cerec crown in and just putting some other kind that isn’t as smooth?

Jeremy V. from El Dorado, AR

Jeremy,

No matter what type of crown your dentist puts in, it should be smooth and natural feeling. If it is rough, it is possible your dentist took off some of the glaze when he made his adjustments. Maybe he tried to repair the crown he damaged, in the process removing some of the glaze, instead of making a new CEREC crown.

If you have reason to doubt his ethics, I would get a second opinion about your crown, but don’t tell the second dentist who your dentist is or the dental history of it. Simply ask him what he thinks the crown is made of. This way the dentist won’t be tempted to tell you what he thinks you want to hear. Nor, will he know which dentist you went to and feel some loyalty to a peer with whom he is on friendly terms.

If you don’t doubt his ethics, then I would simply point out that the glaze was damaged somehow and have him re-polish it. That is a simple procedure.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

CEREC crowns

Crown keeps falling off

I had an all porcelain crown placed about five years ago. Since then it has fallen out at least three times, that I can recall. My dentist has always re-cemented them for free. However, this last time, I didn’t realize it had fallen out while I was eating. I bit down again and shattered most of it.  Because he has to make a new crown now, he wants to charge me an additional $1400.00. Is it common for crowns to fall out this much? I wondered if it was because I got a CEREC porcelain crown.

Susan- Lehi, Utah

Susan,

No, it is not normal for CEREC crowns to fall out. In fact, if they’re done correctly, they will never fall out. You said your dentist keeps cementing the crown. If he did an all porcelain CEREC crown, then he should have bonded the crown instead of cemented it. Maybe that is what you meant and you didn’t know there was a difference.

One of the things that holds crowns is the parallelism of the way the tooth is prepared. The more parallel the tooth is prepared, the stronger the retention. However, it doesn’t take much retention in their design if they are bonded in properly.

My suspicion is your dentist doesn’t have sufficient training in the bonding procedure and that is why your crown keeps falling out.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert dentist Dr. Matt Roper.