If you've ever had a crown or other similar dental restoration work done in the past, you know that the entire process usually took a couple weeks. You had to go in for one visit to the dentist, get numbed, have an impression done and get a temporary put in. Then, approximately two weeks later, you came back in to the dentist to have your crown placed. Thankfully, these days are gone. Thanks to CEREC, crowns can be created combing the latest 3D imagery techniques with precise, computer-controlled milling.
CEREC is an innovation in dental technology that dentists have recently acquired that allows them to perform complete crown services in one sitting. This cutting-edge machine cuts waiting time for these services into a fraction of what they were before. Utilizing CAD (Computer Aided Design) and 3D photography, a dentist can analyze, design and craft diamond-cut ceramic or porcelain crowns with computer-aided precision. Since the entire process in completed in only one sitting, these dental restoration services no longer need additional trips to the dentist for one restoration. After an approximate 60-minute visit, you can have a far superior, diamond-cut crown that used to require a process lasting longer than two weeks.
How CEREC Technology Works
CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics) takes the entire crown creation process and transforms it from dental "art" to dental science. First, 3D imaging captures a complete digital rendering of the tooth cavity. Then, utilizing a large database of images of healthy teeth, the dentist is able to reconstruct the shape of the tooth digitally. Only in this way can a dentist have a true, accurate model of the tooth when it was healthy. This advanced software is able to generate a complete, 3D model of the formerly complete tooth that will be used to create a crown that looks completely natural.
After the computer creates a digital model of the tooth with crown restoration hypothetically completed, the dentist transfers the image to a software program that is kin to an architectural AutoCAD application. He/she then makes any final adjustments as he/she sees fit. The human touch is always present, as a must use his years of experience to fine-tune the 3D model. After turning, zooming and analyzing the 3D image, the dentist wirelessly sends the output of the program to the in-house milling machine where it will be cut and formed.
Depending on the complexity of the tooth structure, milling can be done in as little as three to five minutes. This is one of the key areas of time-saving that CEREC technology provides, as the complete process from design to milling is done completely at the dental office. The new piece is crafted out of ceramic with diamond-edged burs. When a crown or partial is milled in this fashion, the piece is much stronger than when created using previous methods. Not only is your crown precision-cut and much stronger than before, but it's done in a faster way that allows you to have the entire procedure completed in one visit.
What CEREC technology Means to You
Advances in computer and milling technologies like CEREC mean that processes that used to take weeks are being completed in one sitting. By taking the guesswork out of the crown creation, dentists have put today's high-powered computers to work designing beautifully crafted dental restoration pieces that are fully designed, milled and in place within an hour or two. The next time you're in need of dental restoration, make sure you use the newest advances in computer aided dentistry at your local dentist.
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