No insurance, no problem! Ask us about our in-house plan
When a cracked, broken, or severely decayed tooth disrupts your daily life, the last thing you want to hear is that restoring it will take multiple appointments spread over several weeks. Traditional crown procedures require one visit for preparation and impressions, a wait while a dental lab fabricates your crown off-site, and a second appointment just to place it. Throughout all of that, you wear a fragile temporary crown that can feel uncomfortable and fall off. If you live in or near Bellaire, TX, there is a faster, more precise solution available close to home.
At Beechnut Dental Care, we use advanced CEREC technology to design, mill, and place your custom ceramic crown in a single appointment. Our restorative dentistry services are led by Dr. Mitch Dang, a graduate of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and recipient of the prestigious Hanau Best of the Best Award of Excellence in Prosthodontics. His clinical background in prosthodontics gives him a uniquely skilled perspective when restoring damaged teeth, ensuring your same-day crown is crafted with both exceptional function and natural aesthetics in mind.
Quality dental care should fit your budget. We accept most major insurance plans and offer flexible financing options to make your treatment affordable. Whether you need a routine cleaning or comprehensive dental work, we'll work with you to find a payment plan that fits your needs. Monthly payment options start as low as $99 for many procedures.
CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. It is a CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) system developed by Dentsply Sirona that allows dental professionals to create high-quality ceramic restorations directly in the dental office, eliminating the need for an outside lab entirely. The CEREC system combines an intraoral digital scanner, 3D design software, and an in-office milling unit into one streamlined workflow. From start to finish, your crown is created, customized, and bonded while you wait. No messy impressions, no temporary restorations, and no second trip back.
During your consultation, we’ll help determine which restoration option best suits your oral health needs and lifestyle preferences.
The CEREC process at Beechnut Dental Care follows a precise, patient-centered sequence designed for comfort and accuracy.
First, we take a digital scan of your prepared tooth using our intraoral scanner. Unlike traditional impressions that require uncomfortable trays filled with putty, our scanner captures detailed 3D images of your tooth structure quickly and accurately. This digital impression is immediately uploaded into our CAD/CAM software, where we design your crown to fit your bite and match the contours of your surrounding teeth.
Once the design is finalized, we send it to our in-office milling unit, which carves your crown from a high-quality ceramic block. We offer zirconia and e.max ceramic options, depending on the location and demands of the tooth being restored. Zirconia is exceptionally strong and an ideal choice for back molars that experience heavy chewing forces. E.max ceramic is chosen for its outstanding translucency and lifelike appearance, making it a preferred option for front teeth or highly visible areas of the smile. Both materials are biocompatible and free of metal.
After milling, we check the fit, shade, and bite, make any necessary adjustments, and bond the final crown to your tooth. Most CEREC appointments at our practice are completed in roughly two hours.
CEREC crowns are an excellent option for patients dealing with a range of restorative needs. You may be a strong candidate if you have a tooth with significant decay that cannot be addressed with a filling alone, a cracked or fractured tooth that needs full coverage, an older large filling that is failing or compromising tooth structure, a misshaped or worn tooth affecting your bite, or a tooth that has recently undergone root canal therapy and requires a protective covering. Patients who need a dental crown quickly, such as those experiencing a dental emergency, also benefit greatly from same-day crown technology, since we can restore the tooth completely in one visit without sending you home with a temporary.
CEREC crowns may not be the right fit in every situation. If a tooth has damage that extends below the gum line, or if significant bone loss is involved, additional steps may be needed before crown placement. Dr. Dang will evaluate your tooth with digital X-rays and, when appropriate, our CBCT digital cone beam scan technology to determine the best treatment path.
We believe cost should never be the reason someone delays necessary dental care. Beechnut Dental Care accepts a wide range of dental insurance plans, including Delta Dental, Aetna, MetLife, Guardian, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Carrington, Humana, GEHA, Ameritas, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Physicians Mutual, Sun Life Financial, Renaissance, Mutual of Omaha, Principal Financial, and many others. If you do not see your provider listed, call our office and our team will verify your benefits and walk you through your coverage.
For patients without insurance or those facing out-of-pocket costs, we offer Cherry financing, which allows you to break your treatment cost into manageable monthly payments. Our team will work with you to find a payment approach that fits your situation, because restoring your smile should not feel financially out of reach.
Yes. Zirconia and e.max ceramic crowns, the materials used in our CEREC restorations, are highly durable and comparable in strength to traditional lab-fabricated options. Zirconia in particular is one of the strongest dental materials available today and holds up well under the significant chewing forces of back teeth.
The preparation process involves local anesthesia to numb the area fully before any work begins. Most patients report feeling pressure but not pain during the procedure. Because your crown is placed the same day, you also avoid the discomfort some patients experience with ill-fitting temporary crowns.
CEREC crowns are milled from ceramic blocks that closely mimic the light-reflecting properties and translucency of natural tooth enamel. We shade-match your crown to your surrounding teeth before milling, so the final result blends seamlessly with your smile.
Absolutely. Zirconia CEREC crowns are an excellent option for molars, which absorb the greatest chewing pressure. Research on zirconia-based restorations has shown high structural integrity and patient satisfaction even in patients with significant bite forces.
If we discover signs of infection or nerve involvement during your evaluation, we may recommend treating the root canal first. Once the tooth is healthy and stable, your CEREC crown can be placed. In some cases, a crown can be placed at the same appointment following root canal therapy, though this depends on the clinical condition of the tooth.
Yes, we accept most major dental insurance plans. Crowns are typically covered as a restorative procedure, though coverage amounts vary by plan. Our team will help you understand your benefits before treatment begins.
Most CEREC crown appointments at Beechnut Dental Care are completed within approximately two hours, depending on the complexity of the case. You will leave with your permanent crown placed and your smile fully restored.
Most patients return to their normal activities the same day. Some mild sensitivity around the treated tooth is normal in the first few days following placement, particularly to hot or cold temperatures. This typically fades as your tooth settles around the new crown.
The most meaningful difference between CEREC and traditional crowns is convenience, but the advantages go beyond saving time. With a traditional crown, your tooth is prepared, a temporary crown is placed, and physical impressions are shipped to an external dental lab. The lab fabricates your crown over the course of one to three weeks, and you return for a second appointment to have the permanent crown seated. During that waiting period, your temporary crown can come loose or break, exposing the prepared tooth.
CEREC eliminates that vulnerable window entirely. Your tooth goes from prepared to permanently protected in a single appointment. There are no temporary crowns to worry about, no second visit to schedule around work or family obligations, and no delay in your oral health being fully restored. The ceramic materials used in CEREC restorations are also metal-free, which matters for patients who prefer to avoid metals in their dental work or who have sensitivities.
From a durability standpoint, CEREC crowns perform comparably to traditional lab-made crowns. With proper care, zirconia and ceramic CEREC crowns can last 10 to 15 years or longer, depending on oral hygiene habits, lifestyle factors, and regular preventive visits.
Once your CEREC crown is bonded in place, caring for it is straightforward. Brush twice daily with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, floss gently around the crown margin each day, and keep up with your regular dental cleanings and checkups. If you grind your teeth at night, let us know. We may recommend a custom night guard to protect both your crown and your natural teeth from excessive wear. Avoid using your teeth as tools or biting into extremely hard items like ice or hard candy, which can shorten the lifespan of any restoration.
A crown is often one component of a broader restorative plan. If your tooth has an existing infection, we may recommend root canal therapy before crown placement to fully address the source of damage. For patients managing multiple failing teeth or more extensive wear, we may discuss options like full mouth restorations, which Dr. Dang approaches with the depth of knowledge his prosthodontic training provides. We also offer dental bridges and dental implant restorations for patients who have lost teeth and are looking for durable, permanent replacement options.
Bellaire residents have convenient access to advanced implant dentistry at our Meyerland location. Beechnut Dental Care provides easy access via the 610 Loop and US-59. We combine technological precision with personalized care to deliver exceptional implant outcomes.
Our practice accepts most major dental insurance and offers Cherry financing for affordable treatment options. Whether you need to replace one tooth or restore complete arches, we create customized solutions that transform smiles and restore function. Contact us to schedule your implant consultation and discover how dental implants can change your life.
