Same-Day Crowns in Houston Heights

A same-day crown costs about the same as a traditional lab-made crown; what changes is the number of visits, not the price. The exact fee depends on the tooth, whether a build-up or root canal is needed first, and your insurance, and we give you the figure before the tooth is prepared.

Because a crown restores a damaged tooth, most dental plans cover part of it, commonly around half after your deductible. We accept most insurance plans and can help you check your benefits, and financing is available through Cherry, CareCredit, Sunbit, and HFD, pending approval.

CEREC is the CAD/CAM system that makes same-day crowns possible. It combines a digital scanner that captures your prepared tooth, design software that shapes the crown to fit your bite, and a milling machine that carves the crown from a block of ceramic in the office.

The technology has been used in dentistry for decades, and the ceramic blocks it uses are the same class of material found in lab-made all-ceramic crowns. The difference is where and how quickly the crown is made, not whether it is a temporary measure.

For most teeth, yes, including molars that take heavy chewing and front teeth with ordinary shading. We look at the position of the tooth, how much of it is left, and how you bite before recommending one, since the best material is not the same for every tooth.

A lab-made crown can be the better choice for a highly visible front tooth where a technician layers porcelain by hand to match complex translucency, or for a bite that needs a particular material. If that is the case we will say so at the exam, and the process is otherwise the same.

Treat it like a natural tooth. Brush twice a day, floss around it daily, and keep up with your regular check-ups so we can monitor the margin where the crown meets the tooth. The tooth underneath can still decay at the gum line if plaque is left there.

Avoid chewing ice or using your teeth to open packaging, and if you grind at night, a night guard will protect the crown and the teeth around it.

No. The tooth is numbed before it is prepared, so the appointment itself should not be painful; most patients feel vibration and pressure rather than discomfort. The longest part is simply waiting for the crown to be milled.

It is normal for the tooth to feel slightly tender or sensitive to temperature for a few days afterward as things settle. If discomfort is getting worse rather than better, or your bite feels high, call us so we can check it and make a small adjustment.

No, and that is one of the main advantages. Because your permanent crown is made during the same appointment, there is no waiting period and no temporary crown to look after, work around, or worry about coming loose.

With a traditional crown, the temporary is the stage where most problems happen: it can fall off, feel rough, or let the tooth become sensitive. Skipping it means fewer surprises between visits.

A well-made same-day crown is designed to stand up to normal biting and chewing just as a laboratory-made crown does. It is milled from a solid block of ceramic, which gives it a dense, uniform structure, and it is bonded to the tooth the same way a lab crown is.

The difference is where and how quickly it is made, not whether it is a temporary measure. We look at the position of the tooth and how you bite before recommending one, since the best material is not the same for every tooth. Our blog compares the two in more detail.

Plan on a single longer visit rather than two shorter ones, usually around one to two hours in total. The crown itself is milled in about 15 to 20 minutes, and that sits alongside numbing and preparing the tooth, scanning, shading, and fitting and adjusting the finished crown.

You leave with the permanent crown already in place, so there is no second appointment to book and you can eat normally once the numbness wears off.