Cerec is an in-practice system that scans your tooth, designs the restoration on screen and mills it from a solid ceramic block while you wait, so a crown that once took two appointments and a fortnight can be fitted the same day. At The Smile Gallery in East Grinstead, Dr Aak Nehra leads its use. No temporary crown, no second trip, no two-week gap.

If you’ve had a crown the old way, you’ll remember the bits nobody enjoys. Let’s walk through what changes.

The old way, and why it dragged

A traditional crown is a two-visit job. First, the dentist prepares the tooth and takes a putty impression, which goes off to an external laboratory. You leave with a temporary crown, often a slightly loose, plasticky stand-in that you’re told to chew carefully around.

Then you wait. A week, sometimes two, while the lab makes the real thing. You come back for a second appointment, more numbing, the temporary prised off, the permanent crown fitted.

It works. But it’s two days off, two lots of anaesthetic, and a fortnight of babying a temporary that sometimes pops off at the worst moment. Cerec removes all of that.

How Cerec does it in one sitting

Cerec stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, which is a mouthful that simply means the whole process happens beside your chair. Here’s the sequence Dr Aak Nehra follows.

She prepares the tooth as normal, removing decay or old filling material. Then, instead of a putty tray, a small digital scanner captures the tooth in fine detail. No goop, no gagging.

The scan appears on screen as a 3D model. The restoration is designed there, shaped to fit your bite and match the neighbouring teeth. That design is sent to the in-practice milling unit, which carves your crown from a single block of ceramic. You wait while it works, usually a coffee’s worth of time rather than a fortnight.

The finished crown is checked, polished, and bonded into place. You walk out with the permanent restoration already in your mouth.

Two appointments versus one, side by side

The difference is easiest to see laid out plainly.

Why Dr Aak Nehra leads this at the practice

Dr Aak Nehra co-founded The Smile Gallery with Dr Rahul Nehra and holds a postgraduate diploma in advanced restorative and aesthetic dentistry. As of June 2026 she leads Cerec at the practice, which sits squarely in her field, because a same-day crown is as much an aesthetic judgement as a technical one.

Patients describe her as calming and gentle, and she’s known for giving people complete say over their own treatment. That matters with a restoration you’ll see every time you smile. The shade, the shape, the way it catches the light, all of it gets matched to your existing teeth rather than guessed at by a lab technician who never met you. Because the work happens in front of you, adjustments are made on the spot.

What the appointment actually feels like

Plan for a longer single visit rather than a quick in-and-out. The tooth preparation feels like having a filling done. The scan is painless and takes a few minutes of holding still while the wand moves around the tooth.

Then there’s a wait while the design is finalised and the block is milled. Many patients bring something to read or simply relax. When the crown is ready, fitting it takes a short while, and Dr Aak Nehra checks your bite carefully so nothing feels high or off when you close your teeth together.

You leave able to eat normally that day, with a real ceramic crown rather than a temporary. The numbness wears off over a few hours, same as any treatment.

What same-day crowns cost

A single crown in the UK generally ranges from around £600 to £1,200 depending on the material and the complexity of the tooth. Cerec restorations sit within that broad range, and the saving in time and second appointments is part of the appeal.

The Smile Gallery confirms your exact fee after Dr Aak Nehra has examined the tooth, since a back molar carrying heavy bite force and a front tooth aren’t the same job. You can see how crowns fit alongside the practice’s other restorative work on the dental crowns page, and the practice offers finance to spread larger costs.

Looking after your crown once you leave

The good news with a Cerec crown is that there is no temporary to babysit and no second appointment hanging over you, so the aftercare is genuinely simple. Once the numbness fades, you can eat and drink as you normally would. There is no special soft-food window the way there is with some treatments, because the crown is bonded firmly in place before you go.

For the first day or two, your bite might feel slightly unfamiliar as your mouth gets used to the new surface. That settles quickly for most people. If anything still feels high or catches when you close your teeth together after a few days, give The Smile Gallery a call, because a tiny adjustment takes minutes and is far better done early.

Day to day, treat a Cerec crown exactly like a natural tooth. Brush twice a day and clean between your teeth, paying particular attention to the gumline where the crown meets the tooth, since that join is the spot most likely to collect plaque. Ceramic does not decay, but the tooth underneath the crown still can, and decay creeping in at the edge is one of the main reasons any crown eventually needs attention.

A few habits are worth a second thought. Crunching ice, opening packaging with your teeth, or chewing very hard sweets puts the same stress on ceramic that it would on a real tooth, so it is sensible to ease off. If you grind or clench in your sleep, mention it to Dr Aak Nehra, because a night guard protects the crown while you rest and adds years to its life.

Beyond that, your regular check-ups do the heavy lifting. The practice keeps an eye on the crown, the gum around it and the bite at each visit, catching small issues long before they become a problem. With that light routine, a well-fitted ceramic crown should serve you quietly for many years.

FAQ

Are same-day Cerec crowns as good as lab-made ones?

Yes. Cerec crowns are milled from high-quality solid ceramic blocks and are strong, durable and natural-looking. Studies of milled ceramic restorations show survival rates comparable to traditional lab crowns. The main difference is convenience: at The Smile Gallery, Dr Aak Nehra designs and fits yours in a single visit rather than across two.

Does a Cerec crown hurt to have fitted?

No more than a normal filling. The tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic before preparation, and the digital scan that replaces the old putty impression is completely painless. Most patients find the process more comfortable than a traditional crown precisely because there’s no gagging on impression trays and no second round of anaesthetic.

How long does the whole appointment take?

Expect a longer single visit rather than a quick one, often a couple of hours including the milling time. The actual hands-on dentistry is similar to a normal crown; the extra time is the machine carving your ceramic crown while you wait. You leave with the finished restoration in place, saving a second trip entirely.

Can every tooth have a same-day crown?

Most can, but not all. Cerec suits crowns, inlays and onlays on teeth with enough healthy structure remaining. Very broken-down teeth, or those needing a post, may require a different approach. Dr Aak Nehra checks whether your specific tooth is a good candidate at the assessment before recommending the same-day route.

How long will a Cerec crown last?

With good care, a well-made ceramic crown can last well over ten years, often considerably longer. Daily brushing, flossing and regular check-ups protect it, the same as your natural teeth. The biggest threats are decay at the edge and grinding, so The Smile Gallery may suggest a night guard if you clench or grind in your sleep.

What to do next

If you have a cracked, worn or heavily filled tooth and the thought of two appointments has been putting you off, Cerec is worth asking about. The first step is an assessment with Dr Aak Nehra in East Grinstead.

Call The Smile Gallery on 01342321094, or book through the contact page. You can read more about the practice’s wider cosmetic dentistry and meet the team on the about us page before you visit.