CEREC – is this some science fiction stuff?
CEREC is a revolutionary new technology by Sirona Dental Systems UK, which allows crowns, veneers, inlays and onlays to be prepared, made and fitted on the same day. Usually, these procedures involve sending impressions to a lab in order for the crown or veneers to be made, and this takes a minimum of two weeks during which time you may have to wear temporary fittings, and meaning that you will need two trips to the dentist and two local anaesthetics. With CEREC, your dentist can have full control over the making of the fixture because he designs it and makes it onsite at the dental surgery. Everything is prepared and fitted in one appointment, and you will only need one anaesthetic because the procedure can be carried out in one hour.
How Does it Work?
Your dentist will get ready the tooth in the same way as usual, depending on the treatment required, but as a substitute to dental putty being used for the taking of an impression when the preparation is finished, a digital representation is taken with a specially adapted camera. The computer converts this image into a 3D model of your tooth, and this is used as a helpful tool to designing the new fixture. Once your dentist has designed the fixture, the information is sent to an onsite mechanism which carves the crown or veneer out of a block of ceramic in a shade chosen to match your teeth. This will take between 6 and 30 minutes. After being polished, and generally spruced up to go with your other teeth, the new restoration is cemented in place.
CEREC technology is still very new, and not all dentists in Halifax will be using it yet. However, some are and it is worth looking them up because often this technology is not much more expensive than traditionally made crowns and veneers, because you only need one trip to the dentist and there are no lab fees.