Cerec Crowns & Inlays
Cerec - allowing the dentist to assess, design and prepare perfectly fitted ceramic (porcelain) restorations in one visit
Your guide to single-visit CEREC dentistry
Imagine a dental practice where you can go and have your new crown made and fitted during a single visit and within an hour. This is what CEREC technology by Sirona Dental Systems UK has made possible. This technology is available at Portmore performed by all four the dentists for a number of years now.
What is CEREC?
CEREC is a revolutionary system that enables your dentist to design, fabricate and fit a new crown, veneer, onlay or inlay in a single visit, a procedure that would normally take at least two weeks, if not more!
CEREC computerised design unit (left), and milling unit (right).
KEY BENEFITS:
Single visit - you only need to visit the dentist once - take one day away from your work or life to have the procedure - instead of the usual two or three visits.
Only one set of local anaesthetic injections - since the entire procedure can be carried out within the hour, you only need to have one lot of injections.
Tooth coloured - Colour matched ceramic blocks are used
Minimal tooth removal - Design conserves natural tooth structure
Fracture resistant - Milled ceramic blocks are harder than conventional inlays
No Temporaries – The final restoration is fitted on the same day
Biocompatible - Minimal irritation to the gums
Simulates natural Enamel
Kind to teeth
How does this CEREC technology work?
Your dentist will prepare your tooth in the normal way he/she would before fitting a crown or a veneer. At this point, instead of using "dental putty" to take an impression of your tooth, a digital image is taken using a special camera. This image is then converted into a 3D computerised model of your tooth, which is used as a guide to design your new restoration. Once your dentist is happy with the newly designed tooth, this data is sent to an onsite milling machine, which fabricates your new tooth from a high-quality ceramic block. The milling process can take anywhere from as little as 6 minutes to 30 minutes depending on the exact technology and complexity of the tooth. The latest CEREC MCXL machine can mill a crown in as little as 6 minutes.
The ceramic blocks come in a wide variety of shades and colours, and your tooth will be selected to match your surrounding teeth. Once the crown or veneer has been milled, the dentist may characterise it and stain it to match your surrounding teeth, before either polishing it or glazing it in a furnace. Your new restoration will then be cemented into place onto your prepared tooth.
