CEREC Saves Patients and Dentists Time and Money

Thanks to folks at Sirona, a person can now get dental restorative work done in one sitting. I recently experienced the marvel of having my tooth prepped and the crown placed in the same day. It was a nearly three hour sitting, but that was a small price to pay for not having to drive to the dentist at least twice to get the job done. Even better, the cost to me for the procedure was a little less than if I had done things the old fashioned way. Now that is what I call a win win situation!

The marvels of dental technology advancement have brought the lab to the dentist. Ladies and gentleman let me be the first to present to you CEREC. The name is derived from CEramic REConstruction. According to cereconline.com, there have been over fifteen million restorations done since CEREC first came to be in 1987. The system has been in constant development for twenty-five years. I think we can all rest assured that the technology has come of age.

This little mill, in combination with the 3D camera and CAD/CAM system, allows the dentist to: prep your tooth, take a few special pictures; and, with the help of the CAD system, design your crown. That design is then sent to the little two burred milling device which will dutifully cogitate on the design, and go to work on a ceramic or porcelain blank. One head works on the bottom of the crown, whilst the other head works on the top of the crown; all the while, distilled water is being squirted all over the place to keep the crown and equipment from overheating as well as to flush away debris.

My crown was milled in just a few seconds more than eight minutes. The two little burrs set about their task with great efficiency, and before we knew it the crown was sitting in tray of the milling machine just waiting to be installed into my mouth. Whilst the dental assistant was laying out the equipment for the install; I rushed to brush my teeth from the brownie I had been eating while I watched the crown being made. (We had thought it was going to take a little longer for the crown to be carved out of the blank. We were wrong.)

All of the cuteness about my particular case aside, this is a fine development for both the doctor and the patient. The patient doesn't have to manage to get two appointments, within seven days, to fit into his schedule. The patient doesn't have to spend a week wearing a temporary crown praying that the blasted thing won't come off his dentist's preparation work. The dentist doesn't have to deal with the consequences of a temporary crown that came off his preparation. The restorations created by CEREC are cosmetically superior to the older method of crown making; another plus for the patient.

Should the reader wish to utilize this technology he should check with his dentist to see if CEREC services are available. Additionally there are dentists who have invested in the technology and have paid to be listed here.

I wish to thank the folks at Washington Square Cosmetic & Family Dentistry for their help in this article. Cindy, the office manager, for verifying the cost savings information was accurate. (She also is the one responsible for the wonderful brownies, water, and fruit juice that are always kept at hand to help keep patients and their waiting family comfortable.) Casey and Amanda, the expanded duties assistants that did a lot of the work in my mouth, were a godsend. They both took great care in my dental work and in explaining every little thing that was going on in my mouth as I asked questions. Finally I need to give my thanks to Dr. Richard Herd, Jr. DDS. He has served as my technical advisor; verifying the accuracy of everything I have set forth in this article and has been generous with his staff's time for the production of this article.