The PSL Dentist Podcast

Inside The Lab: How Same-Day Crowns Save Time, Stress, And Smiles

• Dr. Stephen Blank • Episode 2

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What Makes Dr. Blank’s One-visit Crowns So Revolutionary?

Imagine walking into our studio needing a crown and leaving about two hours later with a permanent, polished restoration. That’s the promise of modern chairside dentistry, and we open the doors to our workflow—3D scanning, real-time crown design, and on-site milling—so you can see how it all comes together without the mess, the wait, or the worry.

We start with the pain points everyone knows: gag-inducing impressions, acrylic temporaries that can pop off, and the hassle of a second visit. Then we show how an intraoral scan feeds directly into our design software, letting us mark margins and shape anatomy while your tooth is fresh in mind. The digital file goes to our milling unit, which carves a high-strength zirconia crown in roughly 35 minutes. Add finishing and cementation, and you’re back to life—with fewer injections, fewer drives across town, and far less stress.

Durability and esthetics matter, so we talk materials. Using Bruxer-type zirconia blocks, we match the strength and longevity you’d expect from top labs while compressing the timeline. We also get honest about limits: very tall teeth from recession or complex shade needs can still be better served by a trusted laboratory. The goal is smart choices—use the speed and control of chairside when it fits, reach for lab artistry when it shines.

Along the way, we share real patient reactions. Many love watching the crown design on-screen and filming the milling process, turning a once-dreaded appointment into a satisfying tech moment. With fewer after-hours emergencies and more predictable outcomes, this approach puts comfort and quality on the same team.

Curious how same-day crowns could work for you or a family member? Follow the show, share this with someone who hates dental impressions, and leave a review with your top question about crowns. Your next restoration might be quicker—and calmer—than you think.

To learn more about Dr. Stephen Blank visit:
https://www.PSLdentist.com
Dr. Stephen Blank, DDS
184 NW Central Park Plaza
Port St. Lucie, FL, 34986
772-878-7348

SPEAKER_02:

Welcome to the PSL Dentist Podcast, where healthy smiles meet real talk. Hosted by Port St. Lucie's very own Dr. Stephen Blank, the one dentist who's been making the treasure coast smile for decades. From one-visit crowns to clear aligners, Botox, and even lifting threads, yep, your dentist does that too. So sit back, open wide, not literally please, and get ready to sink your teeth into today's episode.

SPEAKER_01:

No temporary crowns, no second appointments, just high-tech dentistry that saves you time and stress. Welcome everyone. Frederick here, co-host and producer back in the studio with Dr. Stephen Blank, your Port St. Lucie dentist. Dr. Blank, how's it going today? Frederick, good to be with you. I am wonderful, thank you. Wonderful, that's excellent. So, Dr. Blank, let's just dive in. What makes your one visit crown so revolutionary?

SPEAKER_00:

It's just amazing. It's a whole new technology, and it's more than just one visit. Uh, we we no longer take those rubber impressions that patients notoriously hate, you know, or they complain that they gag, and how long does that have to stay in my mouth? Uh, we're able to scan with a 3D digital scanner instead of sending it to my laboratory. I send it to the lab in my office where we design crowns with software that we have here. We mill them in a milling machine, and boom, they're done in 35, 36 minutes, and we can deliver the crown the same day. Patients don't have to go through that impression we take to make a temporary, no more acrylic resin in the mouth with that nail polish salon smell. Um, and no temporary crowns. That used to be my number one uh after hour call of, hey, doc, my temporary fell out. That just doesn't happen anymore. And patients are so glad to not have to go through traffic and get back to the office for a second visit for the same tooth. One visit and done.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow, that sounds truly amazing. So you explained the difference in the processes and the results, but how does the technology itself behind one visit crowns differ from traditional methods?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, in the old method, we would send it to a laboratory and we would hope that the lab technician does everything the way we would want to. Now it's a little more hands-on for me. I designed the crown, I mark the edges that I just got done seeing in your mouth, and I have visual reference to that. I just did it. The lab technician doesn't have that benefit. So while they do a wonderful job, I'm able to do it at a level that I think is just a touch higher and get the job done quickly.

SPEAKER_01:

And you did mention that these last longer, they don't fall out as much, and you don't get those after-hour calls. But if you can uh explain in a bit more detail what kind of materials are used and how do they compare in durability?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, the not falling out part is the temporary crowns. Those are the things that can't be cemented in real well because we have to be able to remove them. And they used to come out between visits on occasion. The new material that we use, I'm using Bruxer now zirconia. It's a patented material for my milling machine. Uh it's a similar zirconia to what the laboratories make. So whether I send it to a lab or do it in my office, my patients get the same materials with the same durability and strength. The main difference is they get it about 35 minutes later instead of a week or two.

SPEAKER_01:

Wait, so are you telling me that patients can really walk out with a permanent crown the same day?

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. We book about a two-hour visit for that where we work on their tooth, and then they can take a break, talk on social media, do what they need to, or even run an errand and come back. Uh it takes 35 minutes for the milling machine to make the crown with a little bit of design time and polish time at the end, and that's it. It's totally ready to go uh and gets delivered cemented into the patient's mouth on their tooth, flossed, cleaned, ready to go.

SPEAKER_01:

How does this process improve patient comfort and reduce anxiety?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, for patients, they don't have to worry about gagging on that impression material. They always complained about that. They did it because they had to. Now they don't have to. And then as far as comfort, um, there's there's no rubber impression, they don't have to come back again, which means usually getting an anesthetized, another needle. They don't want that. They don't have to drive to the office and do all that stuff with a second visit. It's just simpler. You're here, you're finished, you're done.

SPEAKER_01:

Here, finished, and done. That is an amazing uh one-liner there that you could use in your marketing. So uh are there any limit limitations or cases where, say, a one-visit crown is not recommended?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, the only limitation I run into, there's a couple small ones. If the natural tooth is larger than the ceramic blocks we have, somebody that has some gum recession and a real tall tooth, I have to send that to a laboratory still. We can make temporaries that are taller, but that I've only had that a few times in my uh in the six years I've had this milling machine now. Um there's times where it might be a color issue or something that needs to be customized at the laboratory. So if it would be better for the patient to have laboratory work done, then we send it to the laboratory.

SPEAKER_01:

You said you've had you've had this milling machine for six years or so. Um, what kind of feedback have you received from patients who've experienced this process?

SPEAKER_00:

It's been wonderful. Uh patients wonder how's this all going to work? Once I go to design the crown, a lot of patients like to watch how it's designed, so I invite them into the laboratory to watch the process. And then they all get their cell phone out and they're doing a video of the milling machine making the crown. They all like to watch it. And uh, so it's like, go ahead, watch away. And uh they hear the noise when it's all finished, they'll tell me, hey, doc, it's ready.

SPEAKER_01:

That's amazing. Well, I do want to say, Dr. Blank, thank you so much for breaking that down. And for everyone watching this podcast, uh, we'll see you next time for more smile-worthy insights.

SPEAKER_02:

That's a wrap for the PSL Dentist Podcast, where smiles are brighter and laughs are always cavity-free. To keep your smile in shape, call 772-878-7348 or visit psldentist.com to schedule your appointment with Dr. Stephen Blank, the one stop doc for smiles, beauty, and everything in between. Until next time, keep flossing, keep smiling, and keep listening.