If you’ve ever needed a dental crown, you probably know the drill. Appointment one is for preparation and impressions. A temporary crown you have to baby for weeks. Appointment two is when you finally get the real thing.
For busy professionals in Hunt Valley, that’s a lot to juggle. Two trips to the dentist, two rounds of numbing, and weeks of avoiding sticky foods and hoping your temporary stays put.
At Valley Dental Health, we do things differently. Dr. Ashley Izadi and Dr. Roham Rafat offer CEREC same-day crowns in Cockeysville, MD. You walk in with a damaged tooth and walk out with a permanent, custom-made crown. All in one appointment.
Let’s talk about what that means for your schedule and your smile.
What Is CEREC Technology?
CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. It’s a digital dentistry system that lets us design, create, and place your crown in a single visit.
The system has three main components. An intraoral scanner captures a detailed 3D image of your tooth. CAD software lets us design your crown on a computer screen. A milling unit then carves your crown from a solid block of ceramic while you wait.
No impression trays or temporary crowns. No waiting weeks for a lab to send something back.
How the CEREC Process Works at Valley Dental Health
Here’s what your same-day crown appointment looks like.
Step 1: Digital Scanning
First, Dr. Izadi or Dr. Rafat prepares your tooth. That means removing any decay and shaping the tooth to fit the crown. Then, instead of using goopy impression material, we use a small wand to scan your tooth.
The scanner captures thousands of images per second. The software stitches them together into a detailed 3D model of your mouth. This digital impression is accurate to within microns.
Step 2: Designing Your Crown
Once we have the scan, we design your crown on the computer. The software analyzes your adjacent teeth and bite to calculate the best shape, size, and contours.
Dr. Izadi or Dr. Rafat can fine-tune the design. We adjust contact points and your bite to ensure comfort. You can often see your new crown taking shape on the screen.
Step 3: Milling Your Crown
Once the design is ready, we send the data to our in-office milling unit. We select a ceramic block that matches your natural tooth color. The machine carves your crown with robotic precision. This typically takes about 6 to 15 minutes.
Step 4: Placing Your Permanent Crown
Once the crown is ready, we check the fit. We make any tiny adjustments needed. Then we bond it in place. You leave with a permanent restoration.
The entire appointment usually takes about two to three hours.
Why This Matters for Your Schedule
Let’s compare the traditional experience to the same-day experience.
Traditional Crown Process:
- Appointment one: 60-90 minutes
- Waiting period: 2-3 weeks with a temporary crown
- Appointment two: 30-60 minutes
- Total time commitment: Two visits plus weeks of caution
CEREC Same-Day Crown:
- One appointment: 2-3 hours
- No temporary crown
- No second visit
- Total time commitment: One visit
For patients in Hunt Valley, Cockeysville, and Timonium with packed schedules, that difference is significant. You won’t take two half-days off work or spend weeks worrying about whether your temporary will hold up during a business lunch.
The Advantages Beyond Convenience
Same-day crowns aren’t just faster. They offer real clinical advantages:
- No Temporary Crown: Temporary crowns are fragile. They can crack, come loose, or fall off at the worst possible moment. They also don’t fit as well as a permanent crown, which can cause sensitivity or irritation. With CEREC, you skip the temporary entirely. The crown you leave with is the crown you keep.
- Better Fit: Digital impressions are more accurate than traditional putty impressions. There’s less room for error, less distortion, and a tighter fit. A better fit means less chance of bacteria getting underneath the crown. That reduces your risk of recurrent decay, a leading cause of crown failure.
- Fewer Numbing Injections: With traditional crowns, you get numbed twice. Once for the prep, once for the final placement. With same-day crowns, you only need numbing once.
- Natural-Looking Results: CEREC crowns are milled from high-quality ceramic blocks. These materials match the translucency and color of natural enamel. The result is a crown that blends seamlessly with your smile.
Are Same-Day Crowns as Strong as Traditional Crowns?
This is a common question. The short answer is yes.
CEREC crowns are milled from solid blocks of ceramic or zirconia. These blocks are manufactured under intense pressure and heat. That means they’re free of the microscopic flaws that can occur in hand-layered lab porcelain.
Clinical studies show that CAD/CAM ceramic restorations have survival rates comparable to traditional crowns. One study of chairside lithium disilicate crowns reported a 95% survival rate at four years, with no chipping or fracturing.
Another systematic review found that lithium disilicate crowns fabricated with CAD/CAM technology showed favorable long-term outcomes.
The material is strong. The fit is precise. And because we design and mill the crown in our office, we can make micro-adjustments that a remote lab can’t.
The Expertise Behind Your Crown
Technology is only as good as the hands guiding it. At Valley Dental Health, two highly trained dentists work together.
Dr. Roham Rafat, DDS, MS
Dr. Rafat is dual-trained in periodontics and prosthodontics. He completed specialty training in both fields at the University of Maryland. He’s a Diplomate of the American Academy of Periodontology. He serves on the Dean’s Faculty at the University of Maryland Advanced General Dentistry residency program.
His prosthodontic training means he understands how crowns function within your entire bite system. He designs restorations that don’t just look good. They work with your jaw, your muscles, and your other teeth.
Dr. Ashley Izadi, DDS
Dr. Izadi is a general dentist with advanced training and experience. She won the 2019 Golden Aligner award, given to the general dentist who provided the top Invisalign treatment in North America. She’s known for her precision and attention to detail.
Together, Dr. Izadi and Dr. Rafat bring a level of expertise that’s rare in the Hunt Valley area. They evaluate your whole mouth, not just the tooth that needs a crown.
Schedule Your Same-Day Crown Appointment
If you need a dental crown, don’t settle for the old two-visit routine. Choose a practice that respects your time and delivers exceptional results in a single appointment.
Call Valley Dental Health at (443) 733-6613 to schedule your consultation, or request an appointment online. Dr. Izadi and Dr. Rafat are ready to help you get the crown you need without the hassle you don’t want.