CEREC System Provides an Alternative for Traditional Two-Appointment Dental Crowns
Are you too busy for two dental visits?
In today’s fast-paced world, technology has become a godsend to busy families who need to make the most of every minute of every day. If the idea of having to take time out of your busy day to make repeated visits to your dentist in Calgary to complete one procedure is less than appealing, then you will definitely appreciate the new advances found in CEREC technology.
What is CEREC?
CEREC (Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic) provides an alternative to the traditional two-appointment dental crown process. In the past, if crowns, onlays or inlays were required to restore a broken tooth the patient would be required to come in for two appointments, with approximately 1-2 weeks between the two appointments.
If a patient is an appropriate candidate, with CEREC technology we can now create these restorations chair-side, in our Calgary dental office, with one appointment only.
CEREC is comprised of several computer assisted design (CAD) tools, a computer assisted milling (CAM) unit and a furnace that creates custom ceramic restorations. CEREC can benefit anyone needing a ceramic restoration, with the exception of patients who have a history of breaking ceramic restorations as well as those with a heavy bite.
A CEREC restoration has many patient benefits:
- It saves patients time
- Temporary restoration is not needed
- And fewer injections of local anaesthetic are required, minimizing the discomfort.
What does a CEREC appointment involve?
After examining the tooth and determining the correct course of treatment, the first step is to prepare the tooth for the CEREC restoration.
Once the tooth is prepared, the dentist will coat the tooth with a tasteless blue powder. This powder is a contrasting agent used for the imaging process. The digital imaging replaces the impression process required with traditional methods.
These images are then sent to a computer program where the dentist will view the tooth from every angle. The dentist or dental assistant will then design the final restoration using CAD (Computer Assisted Design) technology.
Once the design is complete, the final restoration will be sent over to the computer assisted milling (CAM) unit. The doctor or assistant will insert a block of ceramic that will then be milled out to the shape of the tooth designed.
Depending on the type of material selected for your restoration, it will either come out matching your tooth colour or a purple colour. The purple restoration is in a soft state and needs to be processed in the furnace to achieve the tooth coloured state.
Your new restoration will be fitted to ensure that a perfect fit is established and then bonded for permanence and polished. Your tooth will be restored back to its natural form, function and look. You can return to your busy life with no additional appointments required.
Fore more information regarding CEREC dental crowns, inlays and onlays, or to book your appointment, please contact our Marda Loop dental office.