Getting a crown has traditionally meant planning for two appointments. At the first visit, the tooth is prepared and an impression is taken before you leave with a temporary crown. The permanent restoration is then made at an outside lab, which can mean waiting a couple of weeks before returning to have it placed. For someone already dealing with a cracked, worn, or heavily restored tooth, that second appointment and time spent with a temporary can add another layer to the process.
At Floss Lincoln Park, same-day crowns allow us to complete much of the process in a single visit. We can prepare the tooth, capture a digital scan, design and mill the restoration in the office, and place the finished crown without sending it to an outside lab. For patients whose teeth are appropriate for this type of restoration, that can mean avoiding a temporary crown and a second appointment while still getting the protection a damaged tooth needs.
What Happens During a Same-Day Crown Visit?
The appointment begins much like a traditional crown procedure. We numb the area as needed, remove any damaged or weakened tooth structure, and shape the tooth to support the restoration. Instead of taking a traditional impression with a tray and impression material, we use a digital scanner to capture the prepared tooth and the surrounding area. Those images are then used to design a dental crown that fits with your bite and neighboring teeth.
Once the design is complete, the crown is milled from a ceramic block in our office. Before placing it, we check the fit, bite, and appearance and make any necessary adjustments. The finished crown is then bonded to the prepared tooth during the same appointment. Since the restoration is done in the office, there is usually no need for a temporary crown or a separate visit to place the permanent one.
Why Patients Love the Convenience
Fitting one dental appointment into a busy week can be difficult enough without having to schedule another visit for the same tooth. With a same-day crown, the digital scan, design, and placement can all happen one a single appointment. For new patients trying to work dental care around a job, school pickups, or other responsibilities, eliminating that return trip can make treatment easier to fit into the week. The one-visit process also changes a few other parts of the traditional crown experience:
- Fewer appointments: The crown is designed and placed in a single visit, eliminating the need for a return appointment.
- No temporary crown: You do not have to spend days or weeks protecting a temporary restoration while the permanent crown is being made.
- Less time away: One trip to the office covers the preparation and placement of the final restoration.
- Digital impressions: A digital scanner captures the information needed to design the crown without a traditional impression tray.
Skipping the temporary crown can be particularly helpful between appointments. There is no temporary restoration that could loosen or come off, and you do not have to wait for an outside lab to finish the permanent crown before returning for placement. Digital scanning also avoids the impression material used with more traditional techniques, which can be uncomfortable for patients with a sensitive gag reflex.
What the Research Says About Long-Term Durability
One reasonable question about same-day crowns is how well they hold up after years of everyday use. A multicenter clinical study published in 2024 followed chairside-milled ceramic crowns placed across three private dental practices for five years. Researchers found favorable survival and success rates over that period, providing longer-term evidence that these restorations can remain functional when properly planned and placed.
How long any crown lasts depends on more than where it was made. The material selected, the amount of healthy tooth structure remaining, the fit of the restoration, your bite, and habits such as grinding can all affect its longevity. Same-day technology allows us to incorporate digitally designed and milled ceramic restorations into our approach to restorative dentistry without treating speed as the deciding factor. The goal is still to choose a restoration that fits the needs of the individual tooth and can withstand the demands placed on it over time.
See If a Same-Day Crown Is Right for Your Tooth Floss Lincoln Park
A damaged tooth does not always need to mean multiple appointments or weeks with a temporary restoration. Dr. Delone Jouja and Dr. Martha Silva bring experience from different areas of dentistry to the evaluation of what a tooth needs before recommending treatment. Dr. Jouja trained at Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Illinois, while Dr. Silva earned her DDS from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry and previously served as an active-duty dentist with the U.S. Army.
If you have a cracked, worn, or damaged tooth, we can determine whether a same-day crown is appropriate and explain what the appointment would involve. When it is a good fit, the crown can be designed, created, and placed without requiring you to return for a second appointment. Contact Floss Lincoln Park to schedule a visit and find out what your tooth needs.
