In today’s fast moving world, we need dentistry that can keep up our Speedy Gonzales pace. One of the off-putting things about more complex dental procedures, such as having a dental crown produced, is the amount of time spent waiting around between multiple appointments. It just seems like a waiting and a lot of hassle. Thankfully, thanks to CEREC, such waiting can be a thing of the past!
What is CEREC?
CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. Essentially it is an on-site milling machine which will produce a false tooth from a block of ceramic material. Depending on the complexity of the tooth being produced, this process can take anywhere between 6 and 30 minutes. These ceramic blocks come in a plethora of tooth-like shades and colours, so there should be no problem matching it to your other teeth!
What does a procedure with CEREC involve?
Firstly, you will be prepped as though you were having a standard crown or veneers procedure. However, rather than taking an impression of your teeth with dental putty, as is normal, your dentist will instead produce a digital image of your teeth by utilising a special camera. This picture will then be converted into a full 3D model of your tooth on a specialised computer. This 3D image will be used as a guide for designing your new tooth! After a few tweaks, the design will then be sent to the milling machine I mentioned previously. Once it has been produced, your tooth can then be stained or otherwise altered to help it sit naturally amongst your other teeth. It will then be polished or glazed and then cemented into place!
The benefits of CEREC
Well, speed is the most obvious one: Not only does that mean ‘just one’ visit, but it also means ‘just one’ local anaesthetic. It also means ‘no temporary fittings’. Temporary fittings are common whilst patients are waiting for veneers or crown to return from a lab, but they do have a tendency to fall off! As you will be present during the production, you will also be able to influence your tooth’s design more than if it was being produced off-site.
