What is CEREC Crowns?

CEREC, short for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, is a new dental technique that uses computer-aided design (CAD) to improve the design and creation of dental prosthetics. The advances of CEREC Savage MN technology allows prosthetics that will be better fitting, better looking, and more durable than conventional prosthetics. Additionally, CEREC makes designing and creating prosthetics faster and simpler than ever before. Today, CEREC is the leading technology used by dental clinics across the country. Here is a bit more information about how CEREC differs from traditional dental approaches and what exactly is involved in the process.

How is CEREC Different from Conventional Approaches?

When a new crown, bridge, or veneer is needed, the overall process can take a few weeks and several visits to the dentist. For example, if you need a specialized crown or bridge, your dentist will have you schedule an appointment to take an impression and get measurements to send to the lab for the prosthetic to be custom-made. A week or two later, your dentist will have you return for a fitting of the new crown or bridge. Using the CEREC technology, all of these steps can happen in one visit to the dental office. When your dentist has CEREC technology they can use an optical camera to take virtual impressions by creating multiple 3D images. Then this final 3D impression will result in computer-generated 3D model. Then the prosthetic can be made in house by your dentist with 3D printing or milling. This process completely eliminates the time and need for the dental lab production of the prosthetic.

How Does CEREC work?

The entire process starts with the optical scanner that can take a 3D picture of the entire mouth including all of the teeth and the jaw. Next, specialized software will turn these 3D pictures into a digital model to produce and design the prosthesis. The most innovative technology is then used when the 3D model is printed using a 3D printer or milled from a solid block of ceramic or composite material. What this means is that your prosthetics are custom-made on casts that are actual picture-perfect models of your mouth. After the prosthetics are printed or milled, stains or glazes can be added so that they match your natural teeth.

Benefits of CEREC

Using the latest and most innovative technology, CEREC allows for dental prosthetics to be completely custom-made in just one day. While this new technology does require more time and expenses from the dentist, this reduction in time is a huge benefit to you. The other benefits include the best fit and the best appearance possible. Patients who wanted custom-made crowns or veneers used to wait weeks for the prosthetics to be made in the dental lab. If your dentist offers CEREC, this extra time is no longer necessary. Additionally, if you have specific requests, they would have to be relayed from your dentist to the lab. With CEREC your dentist is working directly with you to produce the prosthetic that you need to improve your smile.

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