The days of waiting weeks for a permanent crown and dealing with temporary restorations are a thing of the past. At our practice, we’ve embraced the future of restorative dentistry with the Glidewell Fastmill, a state-of-the-art milling unit that allows us to design, fabricate, and place a custom-fit crown in a single appointment. This advanced technology streamlines the entire process, offering you unparalleled convenience and a beautiful, long-lasting restoration in just one visit.
The process begins with a precise digital scan of your tooth. Instead of the traditional, messy impression materials, we use a small, comfortable intraoral scanner to create a high-resolution 3D model of your tooth and surrounding area. This scan is incredibly accurate, ensuring a perfect fit for your new crown.
Next, our dental team uses advanced software to design your custom crown. The digital model allows us to customize the shape, size, and bite for a natural and comfortable fit. This design is then sent wirelessly to the Glidewell Fastmill.
The Fastmill then gets to work, meticulously carving your crown from a single block of high-quality material. These materials are known for their durability and aesthetic appeal, and are selected to match the shade of your existing teeth for a seamless and natural look. In just a few minutes, your permanent crown is ready.
Finally, we carefully bond your new crown in place, and you leave our office with a complete and beautiful smile. The entire process, from start to finish, can often be completed in a few hours, allowing you to get back to your day with confidence.
The Benefits of Same-Day Crowns
We are proud to offer this cutting-edge technology to our patients, transforming the experience of getting a crown into a simple, single-visit procedure. With the Glidewell Fastmill, a healthier, more beautiful smile is now within your reach, faster than ever before.
Glidewell Fastmill is an in-office CAD/CAM milling system that fabricates custom dental restorations, such as crowns, in a single visit. The unit works from a digital design to carve a restoration from a solid block of high-strength restorative material. This approach eliminates the need to send impressions to an external laboratory and enables rapid production under controlled clinical conditions.
The system is integrated with digital scanning and design software to ensure accurate fit and occlusion. Milling in-office allows the dentist to oversee shade selection, fit adjustments, and final polishing before placement. The result is a precisely matched restoration completed the same day as the appointment.
The workflow begins with a high-resolution intraoral digital scan that captures the prepared tooth and surrounding occlusion. The digital impression is used to design the crown with CAD software, which is then sent directly to the Glidewell Fastmill for milling from a selected restorative block.
While the Fastmill carves the restoration, the clinical team can finalize shade and prepare the tooth for bonding, which keeps the overall visit efficient. Once milled, the crown is finished, tried in for fit, adjusted if necessary, and bonded in a single appointment so patients leave with a permanent restoration.
The Fastmill can fabricate restorations from a variety of high-strength ceramic and composite blocks, including lithium disilicate and advanced zirconia-reinforced materials. These options are chosen for their strength, wear resistance, and ability to mimic natural tooth translucency and color.
Material selection depends on the location of the tooth, functional demands, and aesthetic goals determined by the dentist. The in-office workflow allows clinicians to select and confirm the appropriate block and shade for a seamless integration with the adjacent dentition.
Many patients who need single-unit restorations such as crowns, inlays, or onlays are excellent candidates for same-day treatment with the Glidewell Fastmill. Ideal cases include teeth that require restoration due to fracture, large decay, or replacement of an old restoration where sufficient tooth structure remains for a bonded crown.
Complex cases that require multi-unit bridges, significant occlusal adjustments, or extensive esthetic layering may need additional planning or laboratory collaboration. Your dentist will evaluate your oral health, occlusion, and aesthetic goals to recommend the most appropriate approach.
Modern intraoral scanners produce highly accurate, three-dimensional images that capture fine details of the prepared tooth and surrounding tissues. These digital impressions reduce distortion associated with materials and human handling, often resulting in a restoration that requires fewer chairside adjustments.
Digital workflows also allow immediate review and rescanning of any areas of concern, improving overall precision. The combination of accurate digital imaging and precise milling contributes to predictable fit and function for same-day restorations.
From digital scan to final placement, a same-day crown appointment commonly takes a few hours, though total time varies with case complexity and required adjustments. The design and milling steps are efficient, and experienced teams often streamline polishing and bonding to minimize chair time.
Prior to the appointment, communication about medical history and treatment goals helps the visit run smoothly. The office schedule allows for the necessary steps so patients can receive a single-visit restoration without compromising clinical quality.
Restorations milled with the Fastmill from quality ceramic or reinforced materials demonstrate strong wear resistance and longevity when properly designed and maintained. Success depends on appropriate material selection, conservative tooth preparation, precise occlusal design, and accurate bonding protocols.
Regular dental checkups and good oral hygiene are essential to monitor the restoration and surrounding tissues. With proper care and clinical technique, patients can expect durable function and attractive aesthetics comparable to laboratory-fabricated crowns.
Laboratory-fabricated crowns may be preferred for highly complex aesthetic cases, multi-unit bridges, or when specialized staining and layering techniques are required for a specific shade match. Labs can also produce restorations using techniques and materials that may not be available in every in-office milling workflow.
Your dentist may recommend lab fabrication when additional time for laboratory artistry or advanced material processing will deliver a superior long-term result. Clinical factors such as extensive occlusal rehabilitation or implant-supported prosthetics can also warrant collaboration with a dental lab.
Care for a milled crown is similar to care for any fixed restoration: maintain consistent brushing with fluoride toothpaste, daily interdental cleaning, and regular professional examinations. Avoid using teeth as tools or chewing very hard objects, and address any unusual sensitivity or discomfort promptly with your dentist.
Routine dental visits allow the team to check margins, contacts, and occlusion and to provide prophylaxis that preserves both the restoration and surrounding gum health. Good oral hygiene and periodic monitoring help maximize the longevity of the crown.
The Glidewell Fastmill is one component of a full digital ecosystem that includes intraoral scanners, CAD design software, and digital radiography or CBCT imaging. This integrated approach supports precise treatment planning, improved communication between the clinician and dental technician, and streamlined chairside delivery of restorations.
At Cosmetic Micro Dentistry, combining digital imaging, guided treatment planning, and in-office milling creates a cohesive workflow that enhances accuracy and patient experience. The result is a coordinated process from diagnosis through restoration that leverages modern tools to deliver predictable clinical outcomes.
Quick Links
Contact Us
