CEREC : Future Of Dentistry

A dental crown is a ceramic cap that is placed over the top of an existing damaged tooth to restore its cosmetic appearance and preserve its structural integrity. Teeth are commonly damaged from head traumas received as the result of sporting injury or other accident. Teeth can also be damaged by dental decay and the resulting treatment, which may need securing with a crown.

In the past, the manufacturing process involved in producing a dental crown was very lengthy and complex. A dentist would need to take several dental moulds and x-rays. These mould and x-rays would need casting and developing to give the dentist a platform to make the crown. This would then take place in a laboratory over several days or even weeks.

There is now a new technology that allows for design and production of dental crowns and veneers in a fraction of this time. The introduction of CEREC technology in recent years has seen the increased use of computer-aided technology to revolutionise this process and even modern dentistry as a whole. CEREC stands for CERamic REconstruction and is a cutting edge system using the latest in 3D imaging and digital x-rays. Using these tools the dentist can create an exact three-dimensional image of the patient’s mouth on a computer. They can then use this image to design a crown, veneer or ceramic filling to microscopic degrees of accuracy. When satisfied they can then instruct the computer guided milling machine to sculpt the crown from a single piece of porcelain in as little as six minutes. In fact the whole process from imaging to installation can be accomplished in little over an hour.

This technology represents the future of dentistry. Waiting times, appointment times and treatment quality have all improved as a result of CEREC. The porcelain can even be chosen to most closely match the colour of the patients existing teeth such is the level of detail involved in the treatment.

Patients requiring dental crowns for damaged teeth or who are looking to improve previous dental work should make an appointment to see a dentist and ask about CEREC. The future of dentistry has arrived and is available to give you the best possible standards of dental care.