When a tooth is badly broken down, fractured or beyond repairing with a simple filling, a crown is usually recommended. Crowns are dental restorations that cover the entire tooth. Historically, they have been made of gold, metal, or porcelain fused to metal. To
prepare the tooth for these types of crowns, the dentist had to remove a lot of tooth structure (good and bad), take goopy, gaggy impressions, make a temporary, and send it to the lab. Weeks later the patient returned, got numbed up again, and had the crown cemented in place.
Today, there is a newer state of the art method that is used by a small percentage of dentists. It is called CEREC. Cerec utilizes three- dimensional CAD/CAM technology. After the tooth is prepared, a specialized optical camera scans the tooth into the computer. The dentist can then design the tooth chairside. The information is transferred to a milling machine in the office. The milling process usually takes no more than 20 minutes. The restoration is polished and bonded in place. The process usually takes less than an hour.
Cerec restorations have many advantages. They are made of metal and mercury-free ceramics. These materials are biocompatible and natural-looking. They are chemically bonded in place, strengthening the tooth. Cerec restorations allow the dentist to make more conservative restorations, including inlays, onlays, veneers, and crowns. This means less of your natural tooth structure has to be removed leaving more of the healthy tooth intact. The materials come in many shades to match your existing teeth.
Save time, save tooth structure. We are one of the few offices in the country to offer this state of the art technology. Ask us about Cerec today.
