CEREC Crowns vs Traditional – Which Is Better, Bonded or Cemented in Place?

You may have heard of CEREC® crowns as an option for repairing your tooth, but you might wonder if more traditional crowns are better for you. The truth is that it is not a simple decision. Different options work better for different people. When you need a crown put on your damaged tooth, you should go over the pros and cons of a CEREC crown versus a traditional crown. The type of crown you choose is personal and based on your lifestyle and the type of damage you need to fix.

What are CEREC crowns?

CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. Dentists use computer-assisted design to create a custom crown out of ceramic. The dentist will prepare the tooth that needs a crown by shaping it down to the gumline. The dentist can usually install the CEREC crown in a single office visit. CEREC crowns are color-matched to blend in with the patient’s other teeth.

The traditional crown option

Traditional crowns typically use metal in some way. Some traditional crowns are only made of a very thin piece of metal that fits over the affected tooth. Others incorporate a porcelain cap attached to metal, and this fits over the damaged tooth. Metal crowns are extremely durable. The dentist uses different techniques to fix a CEREC crown to the tooth versus a traditional crown.

Bonding versus cementing

The dentist will use either bonding or cementing to fix the crown in place. Bonding works better with CEREC crowns. The dentist dries the tooth and coats it with a bonding material. After the dentist places the CEREC crown on the bonding material, they use a special light to harden the resin, creating a close fit. Afterward, the dentist will remove any extra bonding material and perform final shaping on the CEREC crown.

Bonding is not a good option for fillings with a metal layer. The light that dentists use to cure the bonding material and harden it to the tooth does not go through the metal layer of the crown. These crowns must use dental cement to adhere the crown to the tooth. The cement that dentists use to fix a metal crown in place is easy to clean up and makes the crown very durable and long-lasting.

Traditional crowns fixed in place with cement are more durable and long-lasting than CEREC crowns. These crowns resist cracking and wear and tear. CEREC crowns are more prone to damage than traditional crowns but have the advantage of looking more like the patient’s natural teeth. Dentists can also install CEREC crowns in only a single office visit. With care, CEREC crowns can still be a long-term solution for repairing a damaged tooth.