CEREC same-day crown milling at Tooth n Care

Single-Visit Crowns (CEREC)

One appointment, start to finish

CEREC scans your tooth digitally, designs the crown on screen and mills it from a ceramic block here in the practice, so it’s fitted before you leave.

Book Online ☏ Call 02 4933 4667

When It’s Needed

A same-day crown may suit you if

You need a crown and can’t easily take two half-days off work
You gag badly on conventional putty impressions
You’ve had temporary crowns come off before and would rather skip that stage
A tooth has cracked and you want it protected quickly
You’ve had root canal treatment and need the tooth crowned
You want a metal-free, tooth-coloured restoration

At The Appointment

What actually happens

01/

Preparation

Local anaesthetic, then the tooth is shaped for a crown exactly as it would be conventionally. Old filling material and any decay come out at this stage.

02/

Digital scan

A small camera captures the prepared tooth, the opposing teeth and your bite in a few minutes. No trays, no putty, no waiting with your mouth full.

03/

Design & milling

The crown is designed on screen against your own bite, then milled from a ceramic block in the practice. Roughly 15 to 30 minutes — time you can spend relaxing privately in your own room in a massage chair, or in the waiting area, where our premium coffee machine makes your favourite brew at the touch of a button.

04/

Stain, glaze & fit

The crown is characterised and glazed to match your teeth, then tried in, adjusted for bite and bonded into place. You leave with the finished tooth.

Afterwards

Recovery & aftercare

You can eat as soon as the anaesthetic wears off — there’s no cement waiting period as with some temporaries.
Mild gum tenderness around the tooth for a day or two is normal.
Cold sensitivity can persist for a couple of weeks, especially after a deep preparation.
Come back if the bite feels high — a quick adjustment prevents ongoing discomfort.
Floss around the crown daily; the margin is where problems start.
Wear a night splint if you grind — ceramic chips under sustained load.

CEREC scanning and milling at Tooth n Care

Alternatives We’d Also Discuss

Other ways to go

A laboratory-made crown

Still the better choice for certain aesthetics on front teeth, multi-unit bridges, and some complex bite cases. Two appointments and a temporary in between.

An onlay or large filling

Where enough sound tooth remains, a partial-coverage restoration preserves more of your own tooth.

Extraction and replacement

If the tooth is cracked below the gum or has lost too much support, crowning it only delays the inevitable. We’ll say so rather than take the fee.

Risks & Considerations

The honest downsides

No treatment is risk-free, and you should hear this before you decide rather than afterwards.

CEREC is not suitable for every case. Some front-tooth aesthetics, multi-unit bridges and certain bite situations are still better handled by a dental laboratory, where a technician can layer porcelain by hand.
The appointment is long — typically two hours or more in one sitting. Some people find that harder than two shorter visits.
Preparing a tooth for a crown is irreversible, exactly as with a conventional crown.
Around one in ten crowned teeth eventually needs root canal treatment because the nerve is irritated by preparation.
Ceramic can chip or fracture, particularly in people who grind or clench.
Milled monolithic ceramic is strong, but very high-translucency front teeth can be marginally harder to match than hand-layered porcelain.
Crowns are not permanent — ten to fifteen years or more is typical, then replacement.

Cost & health funds

Same-day crowns are usually priced comparably to laboratory crowns, and you save a second appointment and the temporary. Most health funds rebate under major dental, though annual limits are often reached with a single crown. Interest-free payment plans are available.

Fees & payment plans →

Get a written plan

Before anything starts you’ll have a written treatment plan with costs, inclusions and any conditions spelled out, plus an estimate of your health fund rebate checked at the desk.

Book an assessment →

This information is general in nature and is not a substitute for personalised advice from a registered dental practitioner. Any dental or surgical procedure carries risks. Individual results vary. Before proceeding with treatment we encourage you to ask questions and, if you wish, seek a second opinion from a qualified health practitioner.