CEREC One-Visit Dentistry

Technology is changing rapidly all around us, the smartphones in our pockets and the way we interact with our electronic equipment has changed dramatically in the last decade. However, whilst we are used to such changes in some fields, in others, such as dentistry, it has largely gone unnoticed. Here there has been some amazing innovation too that have revolutionized how dentistry is performed and the time it takes to receive that treatment. One genuinely game-changing product in particular is CEREC, which allows fast treatment by creating tooth colored custom made fillings whilst you wait.

What is CEREC 3D?

CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. It is essentially a combination of camera and milling machine that allows the creation of custom cut, tooth colored fillings right by the chair, with the entire treatment including fitting taking about an hour.

How does the instrument work?

The CEREC machine is a combination of a camera, and that takes 3D images of the tooth to be filled, a computer aided design component that allows a restoration to be created from the image of the tooth or teeth in question on the built in screen, and a computerized milling machine, that cuts the restoration to shape from that design automatically without any further input. Once the filling is created from the durable ceramic material, the dentist can easily fit and polish the restoration, with the whole process taking around an hour from start to finish.

What does this innovation mean for a patient?

The durable ceramic is tooth colored, so it puts an end to those silver fillings that are so noticeable in smiles, instead creating a natural looking restoration that blends with the teeth perfectly. Because it is done through 3D imaging, there is also no need for impressions to be take of your teeth, or wait for a lab to create your filling. Whereas in the past such procedures required two visits, it can now be completed in one visit, and around one hour, adding convenience for both you the patient and the dentist themselves.

CEREC 3D is safe, effective and precise, with more than a decade’s worth of clinical research supporting the technology and its performance.

What can you expect from the CEREC procedure?

CEREC treatment is convenient and quick, and it takes just a single visit.

At the start of the procedure, the dentist places a layer of reflective powder onto the tooth, this is used to aid the camera as it takes a 3D image of the area of your mouth being treated. The incredibly detailed image that is created is then displayed within the computer aided design component of the machine, right by the chair. Here the dentist will design the restoration for your tooth, and you can watch them do it.

Once the design is complete, the computerized milling machine cuts the new restoration from ceramic material chosen to match your tooth color. Using cutting disks and burrs it can create a new restoration in about 10 minutes. Once this is complete, the dentist can bond it to your tooth and polish where necessary. It’s a quick and easy process and you are done in an hour.

What Kinds of Procedures Can It Perform?

· Crowns, both partial and full

· Inlays and Onlays

· Veneers

· Laminates

· Any single tooth restorations

What Are CEREC’s Advantages?

· One session, One hour

· No waiting for a lab

· Tooth colored ceramic material means natural looking restorations

Is This a New Technology?

With over 4 million Restorations performed worldwide, CEREC has over a decade of research and documentation supporting the technology, indeed, the manufacturer has utilized this history to make improvements as they became available to ensure CEREC provides the very best solution possible.