CEREC – One Visit Crowns, Veneers, Onlays and Inlays
What is CEREC 3D?
CEREC is a one visit CAD CAM system that allows us to restore your teeth with a resilient tooth coloured material that reduces the number of visits you require and preserves more of your natural tooth structure.
How does the instrument work?
CEREC uses CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing) technology, incorporating a camera, computer and milling machine.
The dentist uses a special camera to take an accurate picture of the damaged tooth. This optical impression is transferred and displayed on a colour computer screen, where the dentist uses CAD technology to design the restoration. The restoration is then created in the milling unit while the patient waits. Finally the dentist bonds the new restoration to the surface of the old tooth. The whole process takes about one hour.
What does this innovation mean for a patient?
CEREC restorations allow us to complete a complex restoration in one visit. Traditionally crowns would take 2 visits; first visit for impressions and the second to fit the restoration 2 weeks later. Often both appointments would require a local anaesthetic. Traditional crowns have a metal substructure that can give a dark line where the crown meets the tooth. CEREC is metal free and the junction of tooth to CEREC is not affected by this unsightly problem.
A tooth colored restoration means no more silver fillings discolouring 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.
How Does CEREC Work?
- First, the dentist prepares the damaged tooth.
- Using a special camera, the dentist then takes a picture of the tooth.
- The image is a pin-sharp accurate copy of your tooth. With the help of the advanced CEREC software, this image is viewed on the computer screen and the dentist can now design the crown, inlay or veneer to accurately restore your tooth. You can see the design of the new restoration right in front of your eyes!
- The tooth is milled out of a block of ceramic material that matches your tooth colour. The manufacturing unit uses high speed diamond burs to mill a precise restoration as planned by the dentist. The milling takes about 10 minutes.
- Finally, the dentist bonds the newly milled restoration to the tooth using an adhesive.
What Kinds of Procedures Can It Perform?
- Partial and full crowns
- Porcelain Inlays and Onlays - which preserve healthy tooth structure
- Porcelain Veneers