Cavities can completely destroy a tooth. As plaque feeds on the sugars in your mouth, it produces acids which eat away at the enamel of your teeth. These acids can eat completely through the enamel and allow germs to get in and cause infections. A toothache is nothing more than an infection causing swelling inside a tooth. Once a cavity penetrates to the pulp, a dentist has to perform a root canal and then replace your natural tooth with a crown. When it comes to the choice of a crown, you need to decide if you want a lab-processed crown or a CEREC crown. Each option has its benefits and disadvantages.

An Analysis of Lab-Processed Crowns

For decades, people have had an impression made of their tooth, and then waited weeks to get the crown back. The main disadvantage of a lab-processed crown is the time it takes to get a crown and the need to make two different appointments. The advantages of getting your crown from a lab is that lab crowns are very precise and will closely mimic the look of a real tooth. 

An Analysis of CEREC Crowns

The difference between getting your crown for a lab and using the CEREC process is that the CEREC crown can be made right in the dentist's office during one visit. A dentist will take a digital impression of your tooth, create a computer rendering of what the tooth should look like, and then feed that design into a CEREC machine. Within minutes the new crown will come out. The main advantage of  CEREC crowns is the convenience: you can complete a root canal and crown in one visit. The main disadvantage of getting a crown in this way is that you will not get the precision or aesthetics that you can get with a lab-processed crown. 

In times past, the infection from an infected cavity could prove life threatening. At the very least, an infection would lead to the need to pull the tooth. Modern dentistry can save your teeth through the process of performing a root canal and then capping the tooth with a crown. While it used to take time to get a crown, you can now get your crown in the same day you get your root canal. While CEREC crowns are typically not as precise as a lab-processed crown, in the hands of a skilled dentist, CEREC crowns can almost match the quality of a lab-processed crown. So if it is convenience you want, the CEREC process is a good way to go.