Need Restorations For Damaged Teeth? Why CEREC-Designed Crowns Are The Way To Go

Posted on: 11 December 2017

If your inlays or onlays keep breaking down, it may be time to start looking at partial crowns or even implants with complete crowns. Porcelain crowns are a great cosmetic restoration because not only do they help you retain the tooth's function, but they look aesthetically pleasing. Getting a restoration is ideal since jawbone areas with missing teeth can actually decrease in bone density. If you do decide to get a crown, you may also want to consider CEREC-designed restorations.

What is a CEREC restoration?

CEREC stands for both "CEramic REConstruction" and "Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics." CEREC devices make it possible for your dentist to integrate your crown in just one appointment. The CEREC machines use computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing to make the crown in the office.

During your visit, your cosmetic dentistry specialist will use a wand-like camera that will scan the exact measurements of your palate and teeth. These images are then loaded into the CEREC device which will construct a restoration based on the scan.

Once your dentist has the right digital impressions, he or she will put a porcelain block into a milling machine, and the CEREC device will cut the restoration and polish it to precision. These devices are so precise that your crown could be made in as little as ten minutes and then your dentist can cementing it in your mouth.

What are the benefits of CEREC restorations?

If you've had other crowns before, you know that it usually takes a few appointments to get the permanent crown. Typically, a temporary crown will be placed while your permanent crown is made by hand in a dental laboratory. This waiting period could take many weeks; but, with a CEREC restoration, you can get the permanent crown right away.

Another issue with crowns made by hand is that they don't always fit comfortably and may need to be adjusted in a couple of appointments. With CEREC crowns however, you will usually get a good fit on the first go since precise measurements are made by the computer.

Lastly, some patients find that taking impressions can be quite uncomfortable, especially if you have a sensitive gag reflex. With CEREC, all of the impressions are taken with a scanning device, so this aspect is much more comfortable.

As you can see, this technology is pretty incredible and more and more dentists will likely be integrating it into their office. If you have a dentist in your local area that offers CEREC resotrations as part of their cosmetic dentistry services, then it's worth looking into.

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