At Winegar Dental in Harker Heights, we can create a new dental crown while you wait. With the E4D Dentist System, the wait time will only be a couple of hours—not a couple of weeks as is the case with dental crowns that are fabricated in a dental lab.

This system allows Dr. Winegar and his team to capture digital images, design the new crown and build the crown right here in our office.

The result is a restored tooth that looks, feels and performs no differently than one of your natural teeth.

Components of the E4D Dentist System

The E4D Dentist System is an advanced technology from D4D Technologies. Using laser-scanning technology, the system first captures an optical impression of your tooth. There’s no need to sit with a mouthful of molding material. With E4D, an extremely accurate impression is created in just a matter of seconds. Then, E4D’s 3D CAD (computer aided design) technology designs your new dental crown based on the optical impression. Finally, the design is transferred to the milling unit that uses CAM (computer aided manufacturing) to carve your restoration from a solid block of dental porcelain or composite resin.

Receiving a Dental Crown in Harker Heights

Once Dr. Winegar has examined your tooth and determined that you need a crown, you are only one appointment away from having a restored tooth. A local anesthetic is administered to the tooth and the surrounding soft tissue. Then, E4D’s laser scanner captures the details of your tooth. This includes the size, shape, color and unique biting surface of the tooth, so the finished crown that we put in place looks completely natural and feels just as comfortable.

While the E4D computer software designs your new crown, Dr. Winegar will need to remove a small amount of your tooth’s natural structure in order to make room for the restoration. If there is any decay present, this will be removed as well. Your reshaped tooth ensures that the crown lies evenly between the adjacent teeth and does not feel too high or out of place when you bite down.

Finally, the completed restoration design is forwarded to the milling unit where the crown is fabricated in only 15 to 20 minutes. Once the dental crown is ready, Dr. Winegar can use hand instruments for the finishing touches that perfect the completed crown. He will check the fit and then adhesively bond the same day crown over your prepared tooth.

To care for your new crown, brush and floss just as you do your natural teeth. Pay close attention to the area where the edge of the crown meets your gum. Oral plaque can easily accumulate here.