CEREC crown

[flgirl]

Today after not having been to the dentist for 18 months (and having always had very weak teeth) I found out I have to have 8 crowns. I found a dentist who does CEREC crowns which means no impressions (YAY!) but I'm kind of leery about the powder being applied to the tooth in order to take the 3D image. Has anyone had this done?

I have images in my head of them stuffing 40 pounds of cotton in my mouth to keep the area dry or some other horrible thing. I just can't stand having lots of stuff in my mouth, it just freaks me out.

And - he's doing the first four crowns 2 weeks from today since they're all in a row - I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing. Anyway, any info anyone can give me who has had this done as to how good/bad the entire experience was would be appreciated!

 

[brit]

From what I've read the Cerec process is pretty patient-friendly. The Cerec machine is very expensive though so a dentist with it, is going to want to place cerecs rather than any other sort of crown, most of the time. There is a learning curve for the dentist on using the machine. How long has he been placing them?

Personally I'd be leery about doing 4 all at once though...call me cynical but I'd want one done first to check the dentist's work was up to par. So if it's not he only wrecks one tooth and not 4! Are you sure you need 8 crowns? Second opinion time maybe?

The best crown for molars if you are not worried about the esthetics is a gold crown (It has multiple advantages over the other types and many dentists would choose these for themselves), otherwise on molars porcelain fused to metal (PFM) is the norm with fused to precious metal such as gold the best.
On front teeth all porcelain gives the most natural looking result (with no ugly margin line) but it is not suitable for the huge biting forces on molars.

Ask your dentist how long the cerec will likely last before it needs to be replaced and then ask about gold if it is a molar...you may be surprised at the massive difference between the two in likely longevity.

Don't be cajoled into treatment you are not convinced is necessary. Research on net, get second opinions.
I'm not aware of any posters on here who have had cerecs done btw, plenty who have had crowns though.
The main reason I don't think you should get crowns unless absolutely necessary to prevent tooth fracture is the amount of tooth structure which has to be removed - it is a lot - look on net - you can't put it back. (Gold requires the least removal hence why dentists like it for themselves)
Of course particularly with front teeth people choose to do this to obtain the perfect cosmetic smile although often veneers are a less invasive option.
Since it is only 18m since you saw a dentist, I think it unlikely you developed an absolute need for 8 crowns in that time.

 

[flgirl]

This dentist actually was a second opinion. I am new to the area and left my previous dentist of 25 years and the first dentist I saw kind of had an attitude so I knew he wasn't for me. The first dentist told me I needed 4 crowns.

The second dentist that I just saw, I loved. He listened to my fears, talked to me for as long as I wanted to talk, I was in the chair for an hour as he explained everything to me that I needed in detail. He wasn't at all pushy as to getting me to do things I didn't want to do or didn't think needed to be done.

He actually had a small camera and showed me tooth by tooth what my issues were. My problem is that all 8 teeth that we're talking about are actually cracked - every single one. Two have cracks going across the fillings. I also think wow, was this not at least starting 18 months ago and my last dentist didn't see it? That I don't know, but the camera sure didn't lie and I saw the teeth with my own eyes.

He told me that I could do one at a time if that was what I wanted to do but he explained to me that doing them together that he could get a much better fit as far as the teeth sitting next to each other for placement, flossing, et cetera, if he did them all at the same time. He told me of the importance for fit that they be done at the same time but absolutely left it up to me.

I didn't get the impression that I was a dollar sign in his eye. Of course this is what he does for a living but I left there feeling comfortable with him, the office and his staff. That is just huge for me. I'm hoping the process is patient-friendly and I'm sure it is as much as it can be. All I know is it's going through my mind a million times a minute and I sure won't be getting much sleep until I at least get through this next appointment 2 weeks from now!

 

[hildegard]

I just had a cerec done today actually. I'm having two teeth crowned - one normal crown and one implant crown on a neighboring tooth. Since I'll be waiting for my implant crown, they haven't placed my cerec crown yet. Ordinarily, I'd already have my cerec crown on. Kinda neat.

So I can't tell you how it looks in comparison to a porcelain crown, unfortunately. I also can't tell you how durable/long lasting they are compared to say, gold. My cerec will be along the side of my smile.

I can tell you that the powder part wasn't weird or even noticeable. If they hadn't told me they were applying powder, I would have never known. I couldn't smell it. But afterward I had it a bit all over my face

They numbed me up (as close to painless as possible)
Prepped my tooth for a crown (painless)
Did some unrelated implant stuff (painless)
powdered and took pictures (painless)

Then they gave me a temporary crown (because of my implant), which was painless. For you, I'd imagine they stick your cerec crown on, check your bite to make sure it's comfortable, and let you on your merry way. It'll be over long before you think it will.

 

[brit]

Thanks Hildegard for offering that reassurance as to the actual CEREC process - I do believe you are the first one! You can be our in-house expert witness.

flgirl - it sounds like you haven't rushed into it and are convinced of the need for treatment so that's great - going into treatment with your eyes open and knowing both the pros and cons is always a good thing, as is making a well- informed choice.

Glad dentist 2 has a better manner - what was the price comparison like between the two? Do you think the first dentist was only suggesting 4 crowns because of the likely cost? Are all the teeth concerned molars? Do whatever you feel most comfortable with.

A single crown prep appt is usually 1 hour - how long would it take for you to get 4 CERECS done in one sitting? I'm thinking it might be quite a long appointment and for that reason alone you may not want to do 4 all at once - not sure about the 'better fit' issues thing being true.

 

[flgirl]

Thanks Hildegard for the response - I do feel better about the process. You did say the powder part wasn't noticeable - did they have lots of stuff in your mouth during that part? That's the part that freaks me out - having several things in my mouth at one time, then the gagging feeling starts and it just goes downhill from there. I imagine they have to have the teeth they're taking the picture of dry so that the powder will stick to them so I'm imagining cotton and dentist tools and however long it takes for that all to happen and then also a camera in my mouth - not a good combination for me!

Brit - I'm 42 now and my dentist told me when I was in my 20s that when I was in my 40s I would need major work done with my teeth because they are just so weak. So I knew it was coming. I really did try to get as much information as I could with knowing it was coming up.

I never got as far as a price with the first dentist. I knew halfway through the appointment that I wasn't going back there and besides that he would only tell me certain things. He wouldn't tell me which teeth were to be crowned - he wouldn't even tell me if I had cavities to be filled. He told me I had to come back for another appointment to talk about my "restorative plan." It took me three trips back to his office to get my x-rays because they kept making up excuses as to the printer was down, no ink, et cetera. But I finally got them. My new dentist is charging $1,155 a crown. I have two crowns now that are @ 5 years old and I remembered paying in the $800 to $900 range for them, so I don't think this new price is bad. And yes, every one of the teeth involved are in the back of my mouth.

I also asked about the amount of time in the chair and they told me that they can do the prep and temporaries for all four teeth in 2 hours. I was pretty happy when they told me that. They said since they are all next to each other, they just go from one tooth to the next. I thought the dentist did the crowns in one sitting but he said he does that for the onlays and inlays, but prefers to send out for the crowns so he gets them back in 3 weeks. That doesn't bother me in the least, I know putting the final crowns in is no big deal.

It's funny - as I was waiting to see the dentist to talk about my treatment, a man who was having a CEREC crown came out to where I was. He was probably in his 80s and he was just joking and having a good time with the whole situation. I just wish I had a portion of that joking attitude when it comes to the dentist - it sure would make my life easier right now!

 

[RP]

Are you sure you are getting CEREC crowns, flgirl? I thought they were only made in the dentist office with the compouter model and not sent out to the lab. I wondered when you said you were getting four at one time. My dentist said that would take all day when I asked about them, as each crown takes him 1 1/2 hours to make. I think you need to clarify with them. It sounds like you are getting lab made and may still need impressions.

rp

 

[flgirl]

Yes, he showed me the actual machine that took the images and he showed me the pictures from the previous patient he had. He said he preferred right now to send the images to the lab to have the crowns made but that the one onlay I would need he could do right in the office the same day. Out of the many questions I asked him that day I didn't ask why the crowns weren't made in the office when the onlays and inlays were. But he absolutely told me no impressions would need to be done. But yes, we went over the CEREC brochure step by step - the only difference was that he sent the images to the lab for the crowns to be made instead of making them in the office.

 

[RP]

Interesting, have not heard of lab made CEREC, if I need to have one more set of impressions, I'm going to have to hurt someone.........

 

[hildegard]

howdy hi,

No, they didn't have much in my mouth at the time. They just pulled my lips back a bit, stuck a small pen-sized camera thing into my mouth (from the cerec machine), and powdered me and took pictures. At least, I think that's what happened, I kind of mentally tune out during these things. Just think, you're going to have beautiful crowns to chew on and show off to people. Breathe through your nose and just be happy and then it'll fly by.

sending them to a lab? That's nice. My cerec crown was done right there by the dentist. That's the thing about cerec, they're not usually lab made, so it depends on the artistic ability of your dentist as opposed to the lab, and they're not always as pretty aesthetically as lab-made crowns. but yours should be super nice.

I think, since he's having the crowns made by a lab, your price is probably pretty good.

 

[Karenw]

I know this thread is 3 years old but I'm having two CEREC crowns tomorrow (or at least I am if I can get through the appointment) plus another two next month to replace cracked molars.

I'll update this thread following the procedure. I'm dreading it - we have a heatwave in the UK and I suffer with heat intolerance as well as dental phobia so it's going to be a struggle.

 

[carole]

I would like to wish you Good luck and aren't we just having a heat wave. I cannot sit in it as the sun makes me feel sick if I try to sit for too long. I am liking it though, it is nice to fling the windows open and enjoy the fresh air.

Let us know how you get on

 

[Karenw]

Thanks, and I will do. I'm going prepared with a change of clothes in the fridge(!) and am hoping to get some pics/video of the crowns being made.

This is the first crown appointment of four so I hope it goes as well as possible otherwise the next ones will be even worse.

Counting down the hours now....