How is a crown made?

The workflow splits into two phases: clinical and laboratory. The dentist preps the tooth and captures either a physical impression or an intraoral scan. That data arrives at the lab as a stone model or a digital STL file. From there, a technician opens the case in CAD software, designs the crown margins, occlusal morphology, and proximal contacts, then queues it for milling or pressing depending on material choice.

Material selection drives the rest of the process. Monolithic zirconia goes through a 5-axis mill, then a sintering furnace at roughly 1,500 degrees Celsius, which accounts for a predictable shrinkage factor the CAD design must compensate for. Lithium disilicate (e.max) is pressed or milled and then crystallized at a lower temperature. Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns involve casting a metal coping first, then hand-layering feldspathic porcelain over it. Each path requires different equipment, different sintering or firing cycles, and different finishing skills.

For a referring dentist, what matters most is fit verification and shade accuracy before the crown ever leaves the lab. At Dani Dental, every crown ships with a contour check and a shade confirmation step by the assigned technician. Cases with custom staining or complex anterior work go through a second review before packaging. That internal checkpoint is what holds the remake rate below 2.5 percent.