The Future of Dentistry is Found At a CEREC Dentist Office

As a CEREC dentist, we are revolutionizing the way that dental restorations and cosmetic procedures are performed.  This technology is a new and improved way to create and place dental crowns.  We have used crowns for years to restore teeth that have been chipped, cracked, or damaged in some way.  They are also used to protect teeth when the enamel has worn away from erosion or due to an infection or procedure like a root canal.  In these scenarios, a crown can be the solution for saving a tooth and making it possible to bite down with the full force of a natural tooth, without fear of discomfort.  While incredibly effective, we have searched for a faster way to complete the procedure and CEREC is that solution.

The old way….

Previously, if a patient needed to have a restoration completed, we would conduct an examination to determine the full extent of the problem and recommend a solution.  If dental crowns were the answer, we would make an impression of the mouth and use that to provide the dental lab with the information necessary to create the crown in the right size and shape.  Since a crown surrounds the tooth entirely, it has to be perfect esthetically, and all of the ridges need to be exact in order to ensure that the bite is not negatively impacted.  As such, it takes time to create and the dental lab would normally return the crown within one to two weeks.  In the meantime, we would go to work preparing the tooth by removing a portion of the enamel so that when the crown was placed, it would not irritate the surrounding teeth.  In order to protect the tooth, we would then place a temporary crown around it to be worn until the permanent one was ready to be bonded in place.

The future is here…

As a CEREC dentist, we are now able to complete the process of applying a dental crown in one visit.  We will start by examining your damaged tooth, like before, but instead of making an impression of your teeth we will create digital images.  These images are uploaded into our CAD software that digitally creates the exact specifications that are necessary for your new dental crown to be printed using our 3D printing machine.  This is an excellent way to leverage technology because the computer and printer do everything.  The crowns are created entirely without human intervention.  They are accurate, natural-looking and just as durable as the traditional crowns, only completed far faster. In fact, your crown will be created while we prepare your tooth.  That means that you only need to make one visit to our office, and you won’t need to wear a temporary crown.

As a CEREC dentist, we will still check the crown to ensure that it looks perfectly natural before bonding it to your tooth.  In both scenarios, the crown will be bonded in place using dental cement and once hardened; you can eat all of your favorite foods.

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