I love being able to do one-visit dentistry. It’s a good fit for my kind of patients. I practice in New York City, where we have a lot of transient people. It could be someone who just flew in for a vacation, or someone who might be working in town temporarily. We are located close to the United Nations building and have handled some emergencies. People were happy with the results, so we’re now on their list if a diplomat is having trouble with a tooth. It doesn’t matter what city or area you’re in, people will find you online or by word of mouth if you can provide same-day dentistry.

The most common cases I see are as simple as a broken tooth, such as a missing whole or partial cusp, which would warrant a crown. With transient patients, you can put them in temporaries, but they’re unlikely to go see their home dentist for the permanent restoration anytime soon. They’re often too busy, or they’ve traveled to another country where the temporary broke and they saw yet another new dentist. The beautiful thing about using CAD/CAM technology is we’re able to provide them with a final restoration right then and there, usually within 2 hours.

I’m a really hands-on person and enjoy using the Planmeca FIT system. I use e.max because its psi is 360, whereas a normal PFM is only 100 psi. The system also works with zirconia, but we find it can wear on opposing natural teeth. I personally think e.max is as strong as needed but much more beautiful than zirconia. I create inlays with IPS Empress, which doesn’t need to be fired. You can just mill it and bond it right into place, usually in less than 2 hours.

The Planmeca FIT system is my go-to for all indirect restorations unless I need a bridge that is longer than 33 mm. The quality and strength of the milled restorations are excellent. What I really love about creating the crowns here in the office is having the ability to stain and glaze them to match patients’ other teeth. Foreign dentists have sent me emails to say they were impressed with the results. One man who was so happy with the color match we achieved became our patient when he returned to New York. 

Same-day dentistry is great for any patient because they don’t have to leave work multiple times. If patients have to take off work, they would rather take just one day. That’s the beauty of the technology. It’s nice when I have a preplanned reason to use this technology, but it’s great for all our patients that I am able to do things “on the fly.”