As technology changes our everyday lives, nowhere is it more evident than in the practice of dentistry. Many people have no idea of the new and exciting ways it’s being used to improve procedures save time and ultimately money for the patient.

Cutting-edge innovations in dental instruments are requiring less time in the dental chair, causing less discomfort and creating satisfying results. One breakthrough instrument, called CEREC, allow dentists to quickly restore damaged teeth with natural-colored fillings, saving patients time, money and inconvenience.

CEREC is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. Translated, it means that a dentist 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 CEREC work?

First, the dentist prepares the damaged took by painting a thin layer of reflective powder directly on the tooth’s surface. Using a special camera, the dentist then takes a picture of the tooth. No need to take a messy impression and send it to the lab. The dentist works from this photo, which is actually a pin-sharp optical impression of the tooth.

Computer aided design technology helps the dentist design the restoration from the optical impression. The design is done chairside on a color monitor. Patients can watch the dentist design the new restoration right in front of their eyes!
Then computer aided manufacturing creates the restoration while the patient waits. The tooth is milled out of a block of ceramic material that matches the patients tooth color. Computer aided manufacturing uses high-speed diamond bur and disk simultaneously to mill a precise restoration. The milling takes about 10 minutes. Finally, the dentist bonds the newly milled restoration to the tooth using an adhesive.

The CEREC can perform partial and full crowns, veneers and all other single tooth restorations.

A tooth-colored restoration means no more silver fillings discoloring smiles. The filling is natural looking, compatible with tissue in the mouth, anti-abrasive and plaque resistant. Dentists no longer need to create temporaries or take impressions and send them to a lab. Because of this, the traditional second visit has been eliminated.

The CEREC has over a decade of clinical research and documentation to support the technology. The restorations have been proven precise, safe, and effective.