Dental Crowns in Summerville, SC
For most patients, hearing that they need a crown used to mean scheduling two separate appointments, wearing a temporary restoration for weeks, and making two trips to the dentist. That process has always been inconvenient, and for patients with busy schedules, it is often the reason treatment gets delayed. At Old Trolley Dental Associates, we have eliminated those extra steps entirely. Patients who need a crown can have it designed, milled, and placed in a single visit.
Our same-day crown technology is one of the most talked-about aspects of our restorative dentistry practice in Summerville, SC. Dr. Scott Kibler and Dr. Michael Skovira hear it regularly from patients who specifically sought out a dentist who does crowns in a day, and we are glad to deliver exactly that.
When Is a Dental Crown Needed?
A crown is a tooth-shaped cap placed over a damaged or weakened tooth to restore its shape, size, strength, and appearance. According to the American Dental Association’s consumer resource MouthHealthy, crowns are used to strengthen teeth with large fillings when insufficient tooth structure remains, protect weak teeth from fracturing, restore already-broken teeth, cover discolored or misshapen teeth, and cap dental implants. They are among the most versatile and commonly needed restorations in dentistry.
Some of the most common reasons patients come to us needing a crown include significant decay that cannot be addressed with a filling alone, a cracked or fractured tooth, a tooth that has already broken, and a tooth that has been treated with root canal therapy and needs protection. In each case, a crown restores full function to the tooth and prevents the kind of further breakdown that typically leads to extraction.
How Same-Day Crowns Work at Old Trolley
The traditional crown process required two appointments because the crown had to be sent to an outside dental laboratory for fabrication, which took anywhere from one to three weeks. In the meantime, a temporary crown was placed to protect the prepared tooth. All of that changes with chairside digital crown technology.
Digital Scanning and Design
Rather than using traditional putty impressions, we take a precise digital scan of your tooth. That scan generates a three-dimensional model used to design your custom crown directly on a computer in our office. Our practice has moved almost entirely away from physical impressions, which most patients find to be a welcome improvement in comfort.
In-Office Milling
Once the crown design is finalized, the restoration is milled from a solid block of ceramic material right here in the office using our CEREC same-day dentistry system. The entire fabrication process takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes. The result is a durable, tooth-colored ceramic crown that is custom-fit to your bite and matched to the shade of your surrounding teeth.
Final Placement
After the crown is milled and any minor adjustments are made, it is cemented into place in the same appointment. You leave with a permanent, finished crown, no temporaries, no return visit, and no waiting. For patients who are managing a full work schedule or simply prefer to get restorative treatment behind them quickly, the difference is meaningful.
What to Expect Before and During Your Appointment
The appointment for a same-day crown is typically a bit longer than a standard visit since it incorporates what used to be two separate appointments into one. We will prepare the tooth by removing any decay and shaping it to receive the crown, complete the digital scan and design, mill the crown, and then seat and cement it. Local anesthesia is used to keep the area comfortable throughout.
For patients who feel uneasy about dental procedures, sedation options are available to help the appointment feel more manageable. Patients who have needed dental implants in addition to a crown can also have the implant crown created through the same digital process, with the same precision and efficiency.
Get Your Crown Done in One Visit at Old Trolley Dental Associates
Same-day crowns are one of the most consistently requested services at Old Trolley, and it is easy to understand why. Dr. Kibler and Dr. Skovira hear from patients regularly who specifically sought out a practice that does crowns in a single appointment. The ability to walk in with a damaged tooth and leave with a permanent, finished restoration in one visit is not just convenient. For many patients, it is what finally prompted them to stop putting treatment off. Dr. Kibler has been practicing in Summerville since 2006, and Dr. Skovira joined the practice full-time in 2015. Together, they lead a two-doctor office where every patient receives care directly from one of the doctors, not a rotating staff. You can meet our doctors before your first visit.
If you have been told you need a crown, or if a tooth has been bothering you and you are not sure what it needs, we can evaluate it and take care of it in one appointment. Contact our office to schedule your same-day crown consultation in Summerville, SC.