SERVICES > SINGLE VISIT CROWNS

Single Visit Crowns (CEREC) in Hood River, OR

The use of digital dentistry and CAD/CAM technology has revolutionized the dental restoration process and provides a more convenient service to our patients. At Hood River Dental, our CAD/CAM system is the best-in-class CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic) 3-D Technology. Traditionally, dental offices needed to do crowns in two visits spanning over a couple of weeks (waiting on sending in the mold to the lab and waiting for them to send back the final restoration). With CEREC technology, our dentists can design, fabricate and place a ceramic restoration in just one visit! 

Dr. Kivel has served as a Mentor Doctor for CDOCS in Scottsdale AZ, training other dentists on CAD/CAM technology in the dental office. He is committed to bringing this proven best-in-class technology and convenience to the patients of Hood River Dental.  

How CEREC Crowns Work

Advantages of CEREC Crowns

• Eliminates the unpleasant impression process
  The digital scanner captures a full-mouth image in seconds—no biting down on impression material for several minutes, no numbness, and no jaw ache.

• No follow-up appointment necessary
  We create and place your permanent dental restoration in one visit, letting you get on with life—eliminating the need for an uncomfortable, inconvenient temporary crown.

• Looks and acts like a real tooth
  Unlike many conventional crowns that use a metal base (which limits translucency) and can have a dark edge, a CEREC crown looks and feels like your natural tooth. And it most closely matches the hardness of a real tooth, helping prevent wear and tear

• Preserves more of your natural tooth
  Only decayed or damaged tooth surface is removed, preserving as much of the healthy tooth as possible.

What are CEREC Crowns made of?

Once completed, the CEREC milling unit will sculpt the designed restoration out of a ceramic block. The ceramic is chosen to match your natural tooth color almost exactly. Through the use of this new technology, we can save more of the healthy tooth structure in our patients while giving them beautiful, tooth-colored restorations that are metal-free and durable.

How do I know if I need a crown?

A dental crown is typically called for in the following situations:

1. To protect a tooth, too weakened by decay to hold up with a filling or inlay/onlay

2. To restore tooth that has been severely worn down or broken

3. To cover and support a tooth with a large filling when there isn't a lot of tooth left

4. To anchor a dental bridge in place

5. To restore a dental implant

6. To replace an existing dental crown that has broken or fallen off

How long does the process take?

The entire process should be completed in one visit, the appointment usually lasts about 1 -2 hours.

Will my crown look natural?

Crowns are made specifically to look like your natural tooth. In order for a tooth to function properly, it needs grooves and ridges. Your dentist will form and shape your crown to reflect your bite pattern and even paint shading on the restoration to mimic a tooth’s natural color.

Is uncomfortable to get a crown?

The crown procedure shouldn’t cause you any pain or discomfort. A local numbing jelly is applied by your dentist to your teeth and around your gums. There is usually an anesthetic injected as well. The pain associated with the injection is usually that of a small pinch.

How much does a dental crown cost?

This all depends on the procedure and materials used. The full range of crowns are known to be somewhere from $800-3,000 (dependent on the procedure, materials used and location). At Hood River Dental, a simple crown procedure is $1150, which is under the US average of $1,350. If you have dental insurance through a company we are contracted with, you can look up the contracted amount for a crown through your insurance.

The price may increase slightly if a post is needed. A dental post is typically called for when a tooth has had an extensive amount of tooth structure affected and has been treated by root canal.

Are there any alternative treatments?

There are three alternatives to crowns:

• Large Fillings: There are times that a large filling is not necessarily the ideal treatment, but can be used in place of a crown to save costs and prevent further damage. This is likely to be a shorter term solution.

• Inlays: Inlays are a tooth restoration option that can sometimes be used instead of a dental crown if the area that needs treatment is located at on the top of the tooth. It is considered a more conservative treatment, but might not be as durable as a crown or have as long lasting preventative results. An inlay is generally designed and milled with CEREC, more similar to a crown than a filling.

• Onlays: Onlays work similarly to inlays and are used when a tooth’s damage is not just located on the cusp and extends down the sides of the tooth as well.

Can a crowned tooth get a cavity?

Cavities cannot occur in the crown itself as ceramic crowns are excellent at protecting teeth from further damage or decay However, they can harbor bacteria if not properly cared for and decay can develop underneath the crown. If a cavity forms underneath the crown, the restoration will need to be removed and the tooth decay eradicated before replacing it.