Are CEREC crowns better than traditional crowns? What is a traditional crown? A traditional crown can be made of porcelain fused to metal, porcelain, or zirconia, or zirconia with porcelain layered on top. Many times, a doctor will take an impression or a scan and send it to a lab. 

An impression can sometimes be distorted, have shrinkage or expansion while being shipped in hot or cold weather. This creates a problem when the crown is then returned for the doctor to fit on the patient. If the impression has shrunk, the crown would be too tight. If it has expanded, the crown would be too loose. If the impression material did not capture all of the margins, the crown may have an opening that will then leak in the future.

CEREC crowns are crowns that are made in the office with a CEREC or CAD/CAM milling machine. The doctor will take a scan of the tooth that has been prepared for the crown. The scan will then be sent to a computer, which will give a proposal of a crown. The technician may choose to adjust the proposal and verify that all the margins have been captured. This will then be sent to the CEREC milling machine. In the CEREC milling machine, we can make crowns of resin, composite, porcelain, and zirconia. A CEREC machine is unable to make metal crowns.

The type of material used in the CEREC machine for porcelain is typically called e.max porcelain. E.max porcelain has a very high strength. Zirconia can also be milled in the CEREC machine. Zirconia has an even higher strength against fracture. If your technician is experienced, he or she may choose to give the crown characterization or staining and glazing. This can make the crown appear more natural.

So are CEREC crowns better than traditional crowns? Many times they can be and the best part about it is if there is an issue, the doctor can just mill a new crown in the office and it should only take about 30 minutes. 

Are you looking to work with an experienced dental implants doctor? Call Implant Center Of Miami for a free consultation by calling (786)-713-9290 or emailing us directly at neil@implantinstructor.com. We're located on 1160 Kane Concourse, Bay Harbor Islands, FL 33154, United States.