If you have ever had a crown fitted, you will know the routine: two appointments, a fortnight apart, and a temporary crown to look after in between. New research from Switzerland suggests that a single-visit dental crown, prepared by a miniature robot, may one day make that second trip unnecessary. Some London practices already offer a same-day alternative.
In short: most dental crowns in the UK still take two visits. Some London practices already fit same-day CEREC crowns in a single appointment of around 1.5-2 hours, and researchers at the University of Basel have now built a cork-sized intraoral robot that prepares the tooth automatically, a step towards making the single-visit crown routine rather than the exception.
How does getting a crown work today?
A dental crown is a custom-made cap that covers a damaged, heavily filled or root-treated tooth. On the NHS and in most private practices, fitting one traditionally takes two visits. At the first, the dentist shapes the tooth, takes an impression or digital scan, and fits a temporary crown. The impression goes off to a laboratory, and a week or two later you return to have the temporary removed and the permanent crown cemented in place.
It is a well-established, reliable process, but it has obvious downsides: two rounds of numbing, two appointments to fit around work, and a temporary crown that can feel odd or occasionally come loose.
Can you already get a same-day crown in London?
Yes, at some practices. A growing number of London dentists use chairside milling systems such as CEREC, where the tooth is scanned digitally and a ceramic crown is designed, carved and glazed on site. The whole process of preparation, design, milling and fitting happens in one appointment of roughly one and a half to two hours, with a single round of local anaesthetic and no temporary crown to babysit.
Same-day crowns are almost always a private treatment. On the NHS, a crown falls under Band 3 (£332.10 in England from April 2026) and is normally laboratory-made over two visits; privately in London, expect roughly £500-£1,500 per tooth depending on the material and the practice. What same-day systems have not changed, though, is that a dentist still prepares the tooth by hand, and that is the most skill-dependent part of the job. That is exactly the part the Swiss research aims to automate.
What is the cork-sized dental robot?
Researchers at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Basel have developed a miniature intraoral robot roughly the size of a cork, designed to sit comfortably inside the mouth. Its controls sit outside the body and connect to the device through flexible cables.
After a diagnostic scan, the dentist plans exactly how much tooth material should be removed, and the robot carries out that plan. It uses a wider drill to reduce the biting surface, then a finer drill to shape the sides. The same scan also produces a custom-fitted dental splint that the robot attaches to, so if the patient moves their head during treatment, the device moves with them. Because the crown can be planned and ordered immediately, the developers say a second appointment is not needed.
The precision is striking. In laboratory tests on synthetic resin and on a ceramic as hard as tooth enamel, the margin of positional error was less than 0.2mm, and the researchers expect that to improve once position sensors are built in. The force generated during drilling was under five newtons, comparable to the weight of a 500ml bottle of water.
Even after a power outage, [the miniature intraoral robot] would know where it is and where it needs to continue based on the sensor data.
Yukiko Tomooka, first author of the study
How close is this to your dentist's chair?
Not very, yet, and it is worth being clear about that. The device is a research prototype. The team still needs to integrate positional sensors, assess how noisy it is in a real surgery, and complete further testing before it could be built into everyday dental workflows. Dental robotics remains largely experimental in UK clinical dentistry, although robot-assisted implant systems are already in use in some countries overseas.
In other words, you will not be booking in with a robot in London this year. But the direction of travel (digital scans, automated planning and fewer appointments) is one that is already reshaping restorative dentistry.
What could it mean for London patients?
For anyone juggling work and a packed diary, the appeal of a single-visit dental crown is easy to see. One appointment instead of two means less time away from the office, no fortnight of babysitting a temporary crown, and only one round of local anaesthetic. For nervous patients, halving the number of visits is a meaningful reduction in stress.
There is a bigger picture too. Anything that makes routine restorative work faster and more predictable frees up chair time, and chair time is precisely what is in short supply across London. Technology that lets a practice see more patients in the same hours could, in a small way, help ease the access pressures that so many Londoners feel when trying to book an appointment.
For now, the practical takeaway is simpler. If you think you need a crown, the best thing you can do is not wait: a small problem caught early is cheaper and easier to treat than a large one left to grow. If you would like to understand your options and what they cost, our guide to dental crown costs in London is a good place to start.
Frequently asked questions
How many visits does a dental crown take?
Traditionally two: one to prepare the tooth and take an impression, and a second one to two weeks later to fit the permanent crown. Some London practices offer same-day CEREC crowns, which are designed, milled and fitted in a single appointment of around 1.5-2 hours.
What is a same-day (CEREC) crown?
A ceramic crown that is digitally designed and milled on site while you wait, so preparation and fitting happen in one visit. There is no impression tray, no temporary crown and only one round of local anaesthetic. It is generally a private treatment.
How much does a dental crown cost in London?
On the NHS in England, a crown is Band 3 treatment, charged at £332.10 from April 2026. Privately in London, crowns typically cost roughly £500-£1,500 per tooth depending on the material and the practice.
Is the dental crown robot available in the UK?
No. The miniature intraoral robot developed at the University of Basel is a research prototype and is not used in UK clinical practice. It still needs positional sensors, noise assessment and further testing before it could enter everyday dentistry.
Are same-day crowns as good as laboratory-made crowns?
For most teeth, modern chairside-milled ceramic crowns perform comparably to laboratory-made ones. Your dentist will advise which is more suitable for your case; heavily loaded back teeth or complex cosmetic work may still favour a lab-made crown.