Utilizing a CEREC machine, you can receive a crown, veneer or inlay in just one visit!
Overview
CEREC, which is the acronym for Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic, is the only computer-aided system in the world for creating dental restorations - crowns, veneers and inlays - in the office in just one visit. It takes a digital picture of the tooth, puts it on a computer screen in 3-D, measures the tooth's exact dimensions, and mills to those dimensions a near-perfect porcelain restoration right in the office.
CEREC's superior fit means that Dr. Dover often can save more healthy tooth structure. For instance, where a crown would have been called for, with CEREC, a smaller restoration might be able to solve the issue. The fits also means no gapping. So there is less chance for food to slip under the restoration, less chance for infection, less need for root canals. A CEREC restoration can last a lifetime.
How Does the Process Work?
We prepare your tooth in the normal way, removing decay and weak portions of the tooth. At this point instead of using "dental impression materials" to take an impression of your tooth, we use the CEREC 3D camera to take a picture or “digital Impression”. The CEREC computer then converts this image into a 3D model of your teeth which is used to design your new restoration. Once we are happy with the newly designed tooth, the design data is sent to our onsite milling machine which fabricates your new restoration from a high quality ceramic block. The milling process is completed in as little as 6-15 minutes.
Benefits of CEREC
There are several advantages to having treatment with CEREC over conventional laboratory made restorations:
- Speed - Everything is carried out in a single visit - you only need to visit our office once and take one day away from work or life instead of the usual 2 or 3 visits. One appointment restorations.
- Precision and accuracy - Because the images taken of your teeth are done on computer, the digital impressions are incredibly precise. This same precision used to create your crown or filling.
- Health and Longevity - The ceramic material used to create your crown or filling expands and contracts just like your natural teeth do. Because of this, there is no danger of your teeth forming new cracks.
- Wear and Tear - The ceramic material is neither too hard nor too soft. Thus, there is no undue wear on your natural opposing teeth.
- Freezing - Only one set of local anaesthetic injections - since the entire procedure can be carried out within one appointment you only need to get numb once.
- Under our control - We are in complete control of the final result. Since the crown, inlay or onlay is designed and fabricated from start to finish in our office, we have total control over how it will look and fit, unlike restorations made in a laboratory.
- No temporary restorations - Laboratory made restorations usually require 2 weeks to be made. In this case you would need a temporary restoration while yours is being made at the lab. With CEREC, there are no temporary restorations.
- Biocompatible - One of the most important advances with using CEREC is the fact that ceramic crowns and fillings have replaced mercury and other toxic metals. By removing these metals from your mouth, the potential harm they cause has been eliminated.
With all of these benefits CEREC offers, why would you consider going to a dentist who does not use it?
For a CEREC crown:
- One visit to the dentist-you have your restoration in about an hour and a half from start to finish
- No sending anything out to the lab
- No uncomfortable temporary crown
- And because a CEREC restoration contains no metal, no ugly black line will appear between your restoration and your gum
For CEREC veneers:
- Chipped or discolored front teeth can be repaired with a stronger, more natural looking, better fitting porcelain
- And again, because there is no metal in a CEREC veneer, no black line forms along the gum
- Unlike traditional veneers, CEREC veneers (depending on your individual needs) have the potential to be completed in a single visit
For CEREC inlays:
- Metal-colored amalgam fillings can be replaced with attractive, strong, white porcelain inlays that match your teeth
- No gaps in the fit, so no food gets under a CEREC inlay and infection-leading to a root canal and a replacement-is much less likely to occur
- No expansion, no cracking the tooth-a CEREC inlay can last a lifetime
For more information about CEREC, visit http://www.cereconline.com/cerec/. To see a CEREC demonstration for yourself, give us a call at 302-672-7766, we'd be glad to show you how CEREC works and let you know if a CEREC restoration is right for you.