Digital scanning, CAD design, and 3D printing — all under one roof. Crowns and restorations designed digitally from a scan of your tooth, printed on our on-site SprintRay 3D printer, and fitted the same day. Including for posterior teeth.
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CAD-CAM stands for computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing. In dentistry, it means using a digital scanner to capture the shape of your tooth (no putty impressions), CAD software to design a custom restoration that fits perfectly, and a 3D printer or milling machine to produce the final piece — all in-house. The traditional workflow involves taking putty impressions, sending them off to an outside lab, waiting two weeks, and coming back for a second appointment. CAD-CAM compresses that into a single visit.
At Suncoast, our CAD-CAM workflow runs on an on-site SprintRay 3D-printing setup. We scan, design, and print restorations in our practice. Dr. Larsen is a SprintRay Key Opinion Leader — meaning he's involved in evaluating and refining the technology with the manufacturer. The result for patients is fewer appointments, no temporary crowns, no putty impressions, and same-day delivery for many restorations including posterior crowns where strength and accuracy matter most.
What we can produce in-house with CAD-CAM: single-tooth crowns, posterior crowns, surgical guides for implant placement, denture prototypes and finals, occlusal night guards, and provisional restorations. Some complex cases (especially larger bridges) still benefit from external lab fabrication, but the proportion that can be completed in-house keeps growing as the technology improves.
For a single-tooth crown, the full sequence below typically fits into one appointment. Larger cases may span two visits.
If your tooth needs to be prepared (for a crown, for example), this is done under local anesthetic just as it would be in any restorative procedure.
An intraoral scanner captures a precise 3D image of the tooth, the adjacent teeth, and the bite — no putty impressions involved. Takes a few minutes.
The restoration is designed digitally to fit the scan exactly — anatomically appropriate, with the right bite contact and contours. The dentist reviews and refines the design.
The final restoration is produced on our SprintRay 3D printer (or milled, depending on case). Print time is typically under an hour for a single crown.
The restoration is checked for fit, bite, and contours, adjusted as needed, and cemented or bonded in place. You leave with the final crown in place.
Common questions about same-day digital dentistry.
Book a free consultation. We'll walk through whether same-day CAD-CAM is right for your case, demonstrate the digital scanning workflow, and confirm cost and coverage before scheduling.