CEREC: The One-Visit Solution for Same Day Crowns
Are you too busy for two dental appointments?
Technology today is changing our everyday lives. Technology also is impacting dentistry in new and exciting ways. Cutting-edge innovations in dental instruments mean less time in the dental chair, less discomfort and satisfying results. Recently, our office has incorporated a breakthrough instrument into our practice called CEREC®. This is a medical 3D printer. This “tooth printer” allows us to quickly restore damaged teeth with natural-colored ceramic fillings. This saves you time and makes your experience much more convenient and easy.
What Is CEREC?
CEREC is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, or CERamic REConstruction. Translated, it means that we can economically restore damaged teeth in a single appointment using a high-quality ceramic material that matches the natural color of other teeth.
How Does the CEREC Instrument Work?
CEREC uses CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing) technology, incorporating a camera, computer and milling machine in one instrument. We use a special camera to take an accurate picture of the damaged tooth. This optical impression is transferred and displayed on a color computer screen, where we use CAD technology to design the restoration. Then CAM takes over and automatically creates the restoration while you wait. Finally, we bond the new restoration to the surface of the old tooth. The whole process takes about one hour.
What Does This Innovation Mean for Our Patients?
A tooth-colored restoration means no more silver fillings discoloring our patients’ smiles. The filling is natural-looking, compatible with tissue in the mouth, anti-abrasive and plaque-resistant. We no longer need to create temporaries, or take impressions and send them to a lab. Because of this, a second visit traditionally required for this process has been eliminated. With two decades of clinical research and documentation to support the technology, these restorations have been proven precise, safe and effective.
No conventional impression is needed for chairside fitting of implants. No more unpleasant impression trays or gagging. Customized abutments with crowns or directly screw-retained crowns can be made chairside, in one session. Customized solutions meet the highest standards for clinical safety and natural-looking results.
The benefits of chairside restoration of implants:
- Fast: Digital impressions enable you to fit implants in one session
- High quality: Customized abutments provide greater clinical safety than standard abutments. In addition, the tooth-colored abutment ensures a natural look.
Is This an Option for You?
Just ask us when you’re in the office next, send us an email at julie@chadds.net or give us a call at (707) 579-1201. We will be happy to answer your questions about this new technology. Or look out for the 1-800-Dentist commercials offering same day crowns. They are talking about using CEREC technology and we have it here already!