It is evident from the very title of this article that the technology being talked about here, has indeed revolutionized dental procedures. The revolution manifested itself in the form of time. Dental procedures like crowns, inlays and veneers today, do not require multiple dental visits or about a months’ time! The popular abbreviation CEREC stands either for Chair-side Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic, or simply, CERamic REConstruction. CEREC creates the ceramic restorations for your mouth within minutes in the dental office. This automatically implies that the particular treatment procedure ca be completed within just a single visit.

How does CEREC benefit dentistry?

The technology in discussion, uses the computer-aided design (CAD) or the computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM) to make the restorations in office and on that same day! CAM often stands for computer-assisted milling too. So, CEREC is often rightly termed as the CAD-CAM dentistry. It typically relieves you of two things:

  • No need to come for a second dental visit
  • No need to wear a temporary crown

An introduction with the CEREC procedure

The CEREC system or the CAD-CAM system has three major parts. They are discussed elaborately in this article.

The first major component is a high-quality camera and a computer. The function of this unit is to photograph the tooth.Three-dimensional images are created of your tooth on the screen, which is then utilized by your dentist to design the perfect ceramic restoration for you.

The next best thing is the three-dimensional CAD software that allows the dentist to examine the tooth from every angle. It is the closest possible thing that that can be used instead of holding the tooth in the hands and rotating it.

The Milling device: This is the manufacturing part actually. This unit creates the custom restoration using the specifications entered into the computer. A ceramic block that best resembles your existing tooth color is chosen and placed in the unit. Within minutes, the milling device yields the desired results and your perfectly made customized restoration is ready.

Once the custom-made restoration is ready, your dentist performs a dry fit to ensure that the crown is comfortable enough for your mouth. If perfect fit is established, the restoration will be polished and affixed to your tooth using a dental cement.

Why go for the CEREC technology?

The use of CERamic REStoration technology has gained momentum over the years, on account of certain virtues that are an added advantage, to both the dentist and the patient. To have a glance of some of its advantages are:

  • No temporary restorations are needed to be worn
  • Minimal surgical invasion required.
  • Lesser injections and discomfort of treatment procedure
  • Fewer dental visits as same day restorations are easily available
  • Cost effectiveness due to lesser dental visits
  • More natural tooth is conserved
  • Restorations are long lasting. They last for more than 10 – 15 years!
  • Time saving – the entire process takes 2 hours only.

Ceramic restorations are still believed to be costly a procedure by many. But its cost effectiveness is manifested in many ways like reduced dental visits, longer durability as well as your precious time saved! CEREC is one of – if not the most – researched technology in the field of dental procedures and its effectiveness has been proven over the years.