Technology on Your Side
Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, or CEramic REConstruction (CEREC) is designed to create custom restorations in as little as one visit, potentially eliminating the need to wear a temporary restoration for a few weeks.
Your tooth will be scanned by a computer, then the restoration is designed and milled. With CEREC technology there's no need for us to take messy impressions or keep you waiting while we send them to a laboratory to create your dental restorations.
The restoration is often natural-looking because it is made of tooth-coloured ceramic material instead of metal. The ceramic material is compatible with tissue in your mouth and is high-grade, anti-abrasive, and plaque-resistant.
The Science & Process of CEREC
CEREC uses Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) technology, which combines a camera, a computer, and a milling machine.
First, your damaged tooth is prepared with a thin layer of reflective powder applied directly to the tooth’s surface. With a special camera, the dentist takes an optical impression of the damaged tooth, which is transferred to the computer and displayed on a colour screen.
Your dentist will then use CAD to design the restoration. The CAM takes over the process and quickly creates the restoration. Using a diamond bur and a disk, the CAM mills the restoration out of a solid block of ceramic material into the desired shape.
Once completed, the dentist will bond the new restoration to the surface of the damaged tooth. The whole process generally will take approximately one hour to complete.
What Can Be Created With CEREC?
At Ocean Dental, we can create same-day dental crowns and bridges using CEREC technology.
Dental Crowns: Dental crowns are restorative treatments designed to cover a damaged tooth, restoring its function and strength. Crowns created with CEREC technology require less drilling into your tooth than traditional crowns and they can help reduce the risk of additional damage to the tooth by restoring it quickly. Additionally, having your tooth restored in one day, rather than multiple appointments, can save you money and give you back more time in your busy schedule.
Dental Bridges: These are a tooth replacement option designed to fill the gaps left by missing teeth. With CEREC, we can create your dental bridge and have it placed all in one appointment. Because bridges also require crowns to be made as part of the process, having the ability to produce all the pieces same-day with CEREC can save a lot of additional time when compared to traditional bridges.