Dental Furnace
What Is a Dental Furnace? (The Kiln That Gives Your Crown Its Superpowers)
A dental furnace is a high-tech, computer-controlled oven that performs the final, critical transformation of your new crown.1 It's the step that takes a precisely milled but fragile piece of ceramic and turns it into the rock-hard, beautiful restoration that will survive for decades in your mouth.
Think of it as the final boss level for your crown—it goes in vulnerable and comes out virtually indestructible. This isn't just simple heating; the furnace runs a specific temperature cycle that causes molecular changes in the crown material, fusing the particles together and giving the crown its final strength and color.
The Magic That Happens Inside
Different ceramic materials require different "firing" cycles to unlock their unique properties.
- For Lithium Disilicate (e.max) Crowns: The crown goes into the furnace looking chalky and purple. After a 20-25 minute cycle at over 1,500°F, it emerges with its final tooth-colored shade and incredible, glass-like strength.
- For Zirconia Crowns (Sintering): This is a more intense process. The zirconia crown goes in soft enough to carve, but after a multi-hour cycle at temperatures approaching 2,700°F, it transforms into one of the strongest and most durable materials in all of medicine.
The precision is extraordinary. A temperature difference of just a few degrees can be the difference between a perfect crown and a failed one.
Why In-Office Furnaces Changed Everything
The development of compact, efficient, and precise dental furnaces is the key that unlocked the CEREC® and same-day crown revolution.
- Before In-Office Furnaces: A crown had to be shipped to a dental lab, fired in their large industrial furnaces, and shipped back, a process that took weeks.
- With In-Office Furnaces: We can now mill your crown with our CAD/CAM unit and then immediately place it in our in-office furnace. What took weeks now takes about an hour. It allows us to control the entire process from start to finish, ensuring the highest quality in a single visit.
What This Means for the Quality of Your Crown
A properly fired crown will have a smooth, non-porous surface, even color, and its maximum intended strength. Under-fired crowns can be weak and dull, while over-fired crowns can be brittle and distorted. Our investment in state-of-the-art, calibrated dental furnaces means we can consistently produce restorations that are not only convenient but are also of the highest possible quality and durability. It’s the unseen technology that guarantees the performance of the beautiful new crown you see in your smile.
Here's what we want you to remember:
The dental furnace is the unsung hero of modern crowns.2 It's the critical final step that uses precisely controlled heat to give your restoration its ultimate strength, color, and longevity.
Every patient's situation is unique.
The specific firing program we use is tailored to the exact material chosen for your crown—whether it's a quick crystallization for an E-max crown or a longer sintering cycle for a Zirconia crown. This ensures the material's properties are perfectly optimized for your needs.
Curious about the technology that goes into your crown?
Want to see the furnace that will give your crown its superpowers? We're here to give you honest, personalized answers. Schedule a consultation at our Woodland Hills practice – let's talk about what's really best for your smile.