CEREC
SmileMore Dental Care uses technology, such as CEREC, to save patients time and provide them with bespoke same-day crowns, veneers and white fillings.
What is CEREC?
The Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics (CEREC) machine is a specialised tool used at our dental practice. This high-tech device digitises the manufacturing process for restorative treatments.
The first iteration of CEREC launched in 1985, marking the beginning of digitalisation in dentistry. The advent of this technology makes restorations and orthodontic care more efficient for dentists and our patients. CEREC’s scanner and software offer patients a world-class chairside system that creates and uses 3-D scans to produce customised ceramic inlays, onlays and crowns.
CEREC uses 3-D imaging to make a detailed replica of your teeth. Our dentist uses the CEREC omnicam wand, which takes digital scans of your teeth. Using computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), CEREC creates a 3-D model of your mouth. The machine’s software highlights the areas that need to be fixed and then uses this model to create a 3-D tooth restoration in minutes. CEREC carves this piece from a ceramic block that is colour-matched to your natural teeth, so the restoration blends in with the surrounding teeth.
The result is an accurate replica of your natural tooth. As it’s created from a model of your mouth, the size and shape of the restoration are almost identical to your real tooth. We take that crown or veneer, polish it then place it inside your mouth.
How CEREC Works
Tooth Restorations Fit Perfectly
CEREC is a very precise machine. It builds restorative veneers and crowns based on the dimensions and unique impressions of each patient. The strong and sturdy ceramic restorations fit impeccably in a patient’s mouth because the CAD/CAM software captures the tiniest details. Technology like CEREC minimises human error and creates bespoke restorations that feel just right in a patient’s mouth.
Single-Visit Veneers and Crowns
We use CEREC because we understand the value of your time. Traditional dental restoration services required multiple patient visits for veneers and crowns. Digitisation makes dental treatments easier and more convenient for everyone. CEREC enables our dentists to schedule a single appointment. During this appointment, they get a digital impression of your teeth then create and place your custom veneer or crown.
Single-visit treatments not only save time, but they give our patients a permanent solution for their teeth immediately. Previously, we needed to place a temporary veneer or crown to protect your teeth until the laboratory built your permanent restoration. CEREC gives our patients fast and bespoke treatments that last a long time.
Say Goodbye to Conventional Impressions
Conventional impressions required our dental team to take an impression of patients’ teeth so the lab could make a mould and a restoration. This process was uncomfortable for patients and time-consuming. It would take approximately a week for the lab to create custom dental restorations.
CEREC eliminates the need for messy impressions and eliminates the waiting period. Instead, it works like a 3-D printer and takes approximately 15 minutes to carve a restorative piece using our ‘rapid prototyping’ technique. Two diamond styluses shape and produce these ceramic structures. The ceramic only requires a polish before it’s placed in a patient’s mouth.
Traditional Impression Techniques
Impressions create models of a person’s mouth or individual teeth. Impressions are necessary for various types of dentistry, allowing the dentist to study and manufacture the restorations (crowns, bridges and dentures).
Traditional impression material is made of a type of silicone or alginate. A special tray is loaded with this material and placed over the teeth in the mouth. The material takes an imprint of the teeth and becomes hard or firm, creating a mould. A laboratory fills the mould with a plaster-type material, creating a hard imprint of your teeth that helps diagnose, assess or create new teeth.
Why Put Off Dental Treatment? CEREC Results Are Ready Within a Single Visit
We aim to solve our patients’ dental issues in as few appointments as possible. Give us a call or book online today.
