An Hour and Half for a Crown?

We get lots of new patients of all ages in our office. Many need treatment while others do not. Some need fillings. Some need root canals. And some need crowns.

For those patients needing crowns, we often describe the process, which includes the fact that we sometimes schedule for an hour and a half.

“An hour and a half??

That is the response we sometimes get. Some cannot understand why it would take that long. The irony of this situation is that we are often replacing a poorly done crown that had been done in less than an hour.

A 90 Minute Crown

Let’s look at before and after photos showing a crown that took 90 minutes:

Before and after photos showing a crown on a single upper central incisor. We think the extra time was worth it. Can you tell it is a crown? Photos and dentistry Dr. Nicholas Calcaterra.

The above photo shows a crown that took 90 minutes. She had two very large fillings in her upper right central incisor that were consistently breaking every 6 months.

Why did it take 90 minutes? Here are some reasons:

• We had to prepare the tooth very conservatively (which means we went slowly) to prevent her from needing a root canal.
• We had to create space under the gums for the crown to go. Notice how you can’t detect where the crown meets the tooth!
• We had to get an ideal shade match.This takes time and expertise! Notice how the shade matches the other teeth perfectly.
• We had to make a good looking temporary crown.

Needless to say, our patient was very happy with the results. Time well spent!

45 Minute Crowns

We thought we would include photos of crowns that were not visually pleasing.

We did NOT do these crowns. Both patients recalled being in the chair for less than an hour.

The crowns above are from patients who came to our office seeking treatment. They were unhappy with the appearance of their front teeth. On questioning, they both indicated that they were in the chair for less than an hour. Needless to say, when we treated them, we spent a lot of time getting things right.

Are you unhappy with your smile? Do you have a black line around your crown? Are you unhappy with the shade? We can help. Call us at (203) 799 – 2929 or visit this page to request an appointment.