A same-day Cerec crown at Canon House Clinic in Beaconsfield is a porcelain restoration designed, milled, and fitted in a single visit using an in-house digital workflow. As of June 2026, expect a general UK range of roughly £750 to £1,500 per crown, with your exact fee confirmed after assessment. Here’s what that price actually buys.

No goopy impression trays. No temporary crown to baby for a fortnight. One appointment.

Sounds expensive for the convenience? Let’s break down where the money goes, and why some of it is buying you something a traditional crown can’t.

What Cerec is, in plain terms

Cerec is an in-office system that designs and manufactures restorations digitally, right there in the practice. Instead of a putty impression sent off to a lab, a small camera scans your tooth. Software designs the crown on screen. A milling unit then cuts it from a solid block of ceramic, usually within the same appointment.

At Canon House, this digital workflow is led by Ed Bottrill, who graduated from Cardiff Dental School with honours and won a national award for the best overall case during his postgraduate diploma in restorative dentistry. His interest in Cerec and digital dentistry is exactly the kind of precision-focused work the system rewards.

The old way versus the digital way

It helps to see the two side by side, because the difference explains a lot of the value.

The headline saving is your time, and the end of that awkward fortnight wearing a temporary that can come loose or feel odd.

Where the cost actually goes

Here’s the honest breakdown. A crown isn’t just a lump of porcelain. You’re paying for several distinct things, and the technology changes the mix.

First, the clinical time and skill. Preparing a tooth properly, scanning it accurately, and fitting the final crown so your bite feels right takes training and care. That doesn’t get cheaper with digital tools, it gets more precise.

Second, the materials. Cerec crowns are milled from high-quality ceramic blocks, and the material grade affects both strength and appearance.

Third, the technology itself. The scanner and milling unit are a significant investment, and that’s part of what you’re accessing when a practice can offer same-day work in-house rather than outsourcing to a lab.

So a same-day crown isn’t usually cheaper than a traditional one. What it buys is precision, fewer visits, and no temporary, in a single sitting.

What digital precision means for the result

This is the part that’s easy to overlook. The convenience is nice, but the accuracy is the real prize.

A digital scan captures your tooth in fine detail, and the crown is designed against that exact data. The fit can be checked and refined on screen before anything is milled. A tighter, more accurate fit tends to mean a more comfortable bite and, over time, less chance of problems creeping in around the edges of the crown.

For more involved work, the practice also offers CT scanning and broader complex restoration planning, where digital imaging earns its place even more clearly.

Is a same-day crown right for every case?

Not always, and a good clinician will tell you so. Same-day Cerec works beautifully for many single crowns and certain restorations. More complex cases, or situations involving the gum or bite over several teeth, may need a different or staged approach. Some patients also simply prefer a particular material that suits a lab-made route.

The point of an assessment is to match the method to your tooth, not to push every case down the same path.

A quick guide to the price ranges

To set expectations, here are general UK figures. These are broad ranges, not Canon House quotes, and your own fee is confirmed after assessment:

• Single crown, porcelain or ceramic: roughly £750 to £1,500
• Inlay or onlay (a partial restoration): roughly £500 to £1,000
• More complex multi-tooth restorative work: priced individually after planning

You can review the practice’s fees and look at finance options if you’d prefer to spread the cost.

What the appointment is actually like

It helps to know how the day runs. After a chat about the tooth, your dentist numbs the area and prepares it, much as for any crown. Then comes the part that feels different: a small camera scans the tooth, and you watch the crown take shape on screen rather than biting into a tray of putty.

While the milling unit cuts your crown from a ceramic block, you wait, usually a fairly short time. Once it’s ready, it’s tried in, checked against your bite, adjusted if needed, and bonded into place. You leave with the finished tooth, no temporary to look after and no second visit to book.

For nervous patients, the lack of impressions and the single, contained appointment often make the whole thing far easier to face.

FAQ

How long does a same-day Cerec crown actually take?

In many cases the whole process, from preparing the tooth to fitting the finished crown, is completed in a single appointment of a few hours. The milling itself takes a relatively short time while you wait. That said, the exact length depends on the tooth and the case, and Ed Bottrill will give you a realistic time at your assessment rather than a blanket promise.

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

For many cases, yes, and the digital fit can be excellent. Cerec crowns are milled from quality ceramic and designed against a precise scan of your tooth. Some complex or highly aesthetic cases may still suit a lab-made route or a particular material, which is why your clinician assesses each tooth individually rather than treating same-day as automatic.

Why isn’t a same-day crown cheaper if there’s no lab?

Because the lab cost is replaced by the practice’s own scanning and milling technology, plus the clinical skill to use it well. You’re paying for precision and convenience, the end of impressions and temporaries, and a crown fitted in one visit, rather than a discount. Same-day crowns generally sit in a similar range to traditional ones.

Does the scan hurt or feel uncomfortable?

No. The digital scan uses a small camera moved around the tooth, with nothing set hard in your mouth, which most patients find far more comfortable than a putty impression tray. There’s no gagging on a full tray of material and no waiting for it to set. It’s one of the quiet patient-comfort wins of the digital workflow.

How long will a Cerec crown last?

With good care, a well-fitted ceramic crown can last many years, often a decade or more, much like a traditional crown. Lifespan depends on your bite, your oral hygiene, and habits such as grinding. A precise digital fit can help by reducing gaps where problems start. Regular check-ups let the team keep an eye on it over time.

What to do next

If you’ve a tooth that needs a crown and you’d rather not face impressions and a temporary, ask about a same-day Cerec restoration. Book an assessment at Canon House Clinic in Beaconsfield, and Ed Bottrill can tell you whether your tooth suits the digital workflow and what your exact fee would be.

Call 01494 358 327 or book through the contact page at Canon House Clinic.