Bruce, in my experience having the new crown put in is rather easy. You've already been through the difficult part--the drilling, the impressions, and so on. It might just take a couple minutes--and no numbing.
It's been many years since gold was used for crowns. The white material they use now isn't really porcelain, although it's still often called that. It's much more "biocompatible" than any metal, ie, it's healthier.