Busy Schedule? CEREC is Made for You!
Created on May 15, 2017
The business of life has made the large majority of us busy. Busy! Finding time to see the dentist at all can be a challenge, let alone having to schedule multiple mornings or afternoons for restorative work. Typically, repairing a tooth with a crown takes two visits: one to prepare the tooth and one to seat the final restoration. Patients of our Springfield dental office have a different option: CEREC.
What is CEREC?
You may have heard of CEREC crowns before. They are also called same-day crowns. The process is only slightly similar to that used for a traditional crown, which is why the entirety of treatment can be conducted in a single visit. When we make a CEREC crown, we begin in the same manner as we do for traditional crowns, with the removal of damaged enamel. From this point, everything changes.
There are no messy impressions needed to guide the design of your new crown. Instead, images of the tooth are captured with a small camera. The specifications from high-quality imaging are processed by CAD/CAM software, which then transfers data to the milling machine located here in our office. Sophisticated, yes; and streamlined!
CEREC: More than a Time-Saving Process
Because CEREC is known as a same-day treatment, you may imagine that the time you save is the only benefit to obtaining this type of care. Not so. CEREC crowns have been studied for several years, with the first crowns placed back in the 80s. According to statistics, the longevity of a CEREC crown can be quite extensive. Some of the crowns that were assessed in one study had remained structurally sound for 20 years.
CEREC crowns do not contain metal. They are carved from a block of strong dental ceramic, so these restorations look very much like natural teeth. The elimination of metal in this dental material also supports the best possible fit because there are minimal expansion and contraction to ceramic. What does occur is similar to the movement of enamel, meaning that the margins of the crown are better preserved for a longer period.
Whether you want to maximize your time or maximize your treatment – or both – CEREC is a process worth considering. To learn more, contact Taylor Street Dental at (413) 781-7645.
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