CEREC is an advanced dental restorative system that allows your dentist to restore decayed teeth, place crowns, remove defective amalgam fillings, or place cosmetic veneers in just one appointment. This allows you to have the highest quality, most lifelike dental restorations in just one visit to the dentist…in, out, and on with your busy life.
The process:
Exam and Preparation
First, we examine the tooth and determines the appropriate treatment. It could be a simple filling, or a full crown, depending on how much healthy tooth structure is remaining. Next, we administer an anesthetic and prepares your tooth for the restoration, removing decayed and weakened tooth tissue. This preparation is just like what we would do for many other restorative techniques.
Digital Impression
Then, we take a digital impression of the prepared tooth. Instead of filling a tray with impression “goop” that you must bite into and hold in your mouth until it hardens, a camera is used to take a digital picture of your tooth. This whole digital impression process takes only a minute or two.
No Temporaries
Next, the dentist will design the custom restoration for your tooth: The CEREC 3D software takes the digital picture and converts it into a 3-dimensional virtual model on the computer screen. We then design the restoration using the CEREC 3D computer program. Within a few minutes, the restoration design data is sent to a separate milling machine in the office and a ceramic block that matches your tooth shade is placed in the milling machine. About 10–15 minutes later, your all-ceramic, tooth-colored restoration is complete. Your restoration will then be custom stained and glazed to perfectly match your teeth so that it seamlessly blends into you your smile. Finally, we test the restoration in your mouth to ensure proper fit and bite. The restoration is then bonded to the prepared tooth. Your tooth is restored with no “temporary” or return trip necessary. All of this is done in a single appointment! Ask us about CEREC today.