The Difference Between Same Day and Traditional Dentistry

When you are having a dental problem or dental emergency that requires some extensive work to fix the problem, the last thing you want is to have a gap or unsightly and half-finished look to your smile. This is when same day dentistry can make all the difference.

Time and Convenience

Same day dentistry offers the patient more in the way of time and convenience. While traditional procedure appointments would involve two separate sessions, same day services are all done that day; eliminating the need for the patient to book another appointment and come back.

With traditional dentistry, you may also have to wait several days or even weeks for a crown, for example. After the consultation, the dentist will take the impression of the tooth and then send it out. With same day service, everything is done that day minus the lengthy waiting period.

Temporary Crowns

With traditional crown procedures, the patient receives temporary crowns while the lab works on their permanent crowns. Since they are only temporary, they may shift while in the mouth and may not fit properly causing a lot of discomfort.

Same day crowns have eliminated this troublesome scenario for patients because they can now get their permanent crowns in the same appointment and on that same day.

Materials

CEREC- same day crowns are only made of one type of material, and that material is ceramic. However, traditional crowns utilize several other materials including ceramic, porcelain, metal, and porcelain-infused-to-metal. The metal variety offers more durability than ceramic, but it is up to the patient and what the insurance will cover when determining the materials being used for their crowns.

If you want to take advantage of the same day service, then ceramic is the only material that is currently offered.

The Smaller Details

If the patient wants a more natural aesthetic, then CEREC crowns provide just that. However, if it is a front tooth that needs the crown and you want it to match the other surrounding teeth perfectly, then a traditional crown made with porcelain or ceramic may be a better choice.

The traditional crowns are typically made by hand in a lab, so there is much more attention to detail than the same day crowns. However, that is where you spend more in time and find far less convenience than same day service.