CEREC Same-Day Crowns in Delray Beach
The traditional crown process takes two visits over two to three weeks: one to prepare the tooth and take an impression, one to cement the permanent crown. In between, you wear a temporary that can come loose, crack, or simply feel wrong. Then you do it all again.
CEREC eliminates the second visit entirely. Dr. Ressler scans the prepared tooth digitally, designs the crown chairside, mills it from a ceramic block in the on-site unit, and places it — all in the same appointment. You leave with a permanent porcelain crown the same day you came in.
The material is the same high-strength ceramic used in traditional lab-fabricated crowns. The fit is precise because it's based on a direct digital scan, not a physical impression that can distort. And because everything happens in-house, Dr. Ressler controls every step — from the prep to the final bite check.
CEREC appointments take approximately two to three hours from start to finish. Here's what that time looks like.
Tooth preparation
The damaged or decayed portion of the tooth is removed and the tooth is shaped to receive the crown. Local anesthesia is used — the experience is similar to any crown prep appointment.
Digital scan
An intraoral camera captures a precise 3D digital impression of the prepared tooth and surrounding teeth. No putty, no trays, no gagging. The scan takes a few minutes and is immediately visible on screen.
Crown design
Dr. Ressler designs the crown digitally — matching the adjacent teeth in shape, contour, and bite contact points. You can see the design on screen before milling begins.
In-office milling
The CEREC unit mills the crown from a ceramic block in approximately 15–20 minutes. The block is selected to match your tooth shade. No lab involved, no shipping, no delays.
Placement and bite check
The crown is polished, adjusted for your bite, and bonded in place. Dr. Ressler checks the occlusion carefully — the same standard applied to any permanent restoration in this practice.
When a crown is sent to an outside lab, the lab technician works from an impression they didn't take, for a patient they've never met, with instructions relayed through a form. Adjustments require another appointment. Remakes add weeks.
"In-house milling isn't a technology upgrade for its own sake. It's a way to control the outcome. When I can see the design before the crown is milled, I can fix it before it's placed."
CEREC also means Dr. Ressler can respond to what he sees during the preparation — not what he described to a lab tech three weeks ago. If the prep reveals something unexpected, the design adapts. That flexibility doesn't exist in the traditional model.