In-office milling
The machine in the back room
A dental milling machine carves a crown or an onlay from a solid block, following a design on a screen.
It does not diagnose, decide or fit anything. Dr. Sorensen does that. What it changes is where the crown is made: here, in the building, rather than at a dental lab that ships it back.
In short
A scan of your tooth stands in for an impression
She designs the crown on the screen
The machine cuts it from a ceramic block
She fits and checks it by hand
A milled crown visit, in order
Allow a longer visit than for a filling. Katia gives you the time when you book.
- 01
Step 1: Exam and estimate
She shows you the tooth, explains the choices and gives you the fee in writing.
- 02
Step 2: Numbing
She numbs the tooth and waits until you are sure it is numb.
- 03
Step 3: Shaping
She removes what is damaged and shapes the tooth to hold the crown.
- 04
Step 4: Scan
A camera passes over the tooth and the teeth around it.
- 05
Step 5: Design and milling
She designs the crown on the screen. The machine then cuts it, which takes time.
- 06
Step 6: Fitting
She tries it in, checks your bite, adjusts it, and cements it. If it can't be finished, you leave with a temporary crown.
Plainly
What the machine does, and what it can't
A milling machine is a tool in Dr. Sorensen's hands. It shortens some steps and changes none of her decisions.
| The machine does | It cannot | |
|---|---|---|
| The shape | The machine doesCuts the crown to the design on the screen. | It cannotDecide whether your tooth needs a crown. She decides that at the exam. |
| The impression | The machine doesWorks from a scan of your tooth, with no tray of putty. | It cannotTreat what is under the tooth. Decay, a crack or a sore nerve is dealt with first. |
| The fit | The machine doesCuts as closely as the scan allows. | It cannotMake the bite right on its own. She checks it with you and adjusts it by hand. |
| The wait | The machine doesCan remove the wait for a dental lab to make and ship the crown. | It cannotPromise one visit. Whether yours can be done in one depends on the tooth and the day. |
| The range | The machine doesCuts the ceramic blocks this office stocks. | It cannotMake every kind of restoration. A front tooth that must match closely, or a bridge, may still go to a lab. |
What to know
Not every tooth
Some teeth and some cases are better made at a dental lab. Dr. Sorensen tells you which yours is, and why.
No promise of one visit
Whether a crown can be finished in one visit depends on the tooth, the material and the day. We say so at the exam, not before.
Care afterward
Your lip and cheek stay numb for a few hours. A tooth can be sensitive for a few days. Call us if your bite feels high or the crown comes loose.
How it's billed
The fee is in your written estimate, the same whether the crown is made here or at a lab.
How fees work
Questions about the machine
Who runs the machine?
Dr. Sorensen designs the crown and runs the machine herself.
Is a milled crown as good as one from a lab?
Both are accepted ways to make a crown. Neither suits every tooth. She explains why she suggests one or the other for yours.
Do I still get a temporary crown?
If your crown can't be finished in the visit, yes.
Ask whether your tooth is a fit
Send a request and Katia will call, text or email you with a time. Please leave out health details; for anything urgent, call us.