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What we do

CEREC
One-visit Dentistry
What is CEREC®?

Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic or CEREC® for short is a new state-of-the-art method of reconstructing tooth restorations. CEREC® uses computer-assisted design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) to offer single-day restorations for patients. This new technology has revolutionized ceramic restorations such as crowns and veneers for patients so that there is no longer a wait between preparing the restoration and finally receiving the finished product. With CEREC®, the technology is used while you are sitting in the dental chair, which is both economical for you and your dentist. The restorations created are metal-free and tooth colored to restore your tooth to its natural beauty, strength and function. With CEREC®’s CAD-CAM technology, these ceramic restorations can all be done in one single visit to the dentist.

 
The CEREC® Process

CEREC® uses CAD-CAM technology to design and mill custom restorations during one visit to the dentist. So how does this process work?

  • Exam and Preparation

Before you get started, your dentist will determine if CEREC® is right for you. Depending on how much healthy tooth structure you have remaining, it may be a simple filling or you may need a crown. After reviewing your options, the dentist will begin the process by administering anesthetic and preparing your tooth for restoration by removing decay and weakened tooth tissue.

  • Optical Impression

In order to make the desired restoration, a 3-dimensional image of the tooth that needs to be restored must be created from a digital camera scan of the tooth. This three-dimensional image will be used to create the restoration without the need to take a messy impression. This means no horrible tasting impression material for you to gag on. The computer and CEREC® 3D software then converts the digital image into a three-dimensional virtual model of the prepared tooth.

  • Milling Unit

This device is used to used to create the custom restoration needed for the tooth. Based on the original color of your tooth, the dentist is able to select the correct colored ceramic block and in a few minutes, the milling device is able to create the restoration needed.

  • Placing the Restoration

After the restoration is made, it is ready to be tried on to ensure that you get proper fit and bite. When it is ready, the restoration is polished and bonded into place by your dentist. Therefore, no temporary restoration is needed and no return trip is necessary, saving you time and money.

 
Advantages to Using CEREC®

CEREC® has revolutionized the restorative process. It was created with the patient in mind in order to make a visit to the dentist as pain-free as possible. Some of the benefits to using CEREC® are:

  • Most procedures can be done in one visit - less costly and less time-consuming

  • Less painful injections due to single-visit

  • No need to take messy impressions

  • No need to have a temporary restoration for in-between visits

  • Ability to save as much natural tooth structure as possible

  • Longer lasting restorations - may last over 10 years

  • Restores teeth to natural beauty, function and strength

  • Metal-free restorations

CEREC Dental Restorations

CEREC Dental Restorations

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Implant Restorations

Dental implants have revolutionized how today's dentists permanently replace missing teeth.  In many situations, replacing a single tooth with a stand-alone implant is your best option.  Rather than having a removable tooth or a permanently "bridged" tooth, the end result of an implant is a tooth that looks, acts, and feels just like the original.

If you have lost most or all of your teeth, a modern dental solution supported by dental implants is the best alternative to ill-fitting dentures. 
Depending on your specific dental situation, as few as two to four dental implants can make a big difference in stabilizing your denture and giving you a full set of fixed teeth.  Dental implants give your new restoration the much-needed stability in your jawbone that has been missing during all your years of denture wearing.

Porcelain Veneers and Crowns

Porcelain laminate veneers consist of a compilation of several thin ceramic layers which replace original tooth enamel, and an adhesive layer. To apply a veneer, a very small amount of the original tooth enamel must be removed, usually less than a millimeter. This is essential as it creates room for the porcelain veneer to fit within the mouth and most accurately restore natural tooth function while creating an even better appearance than the original tooth.

​Porcelain veneers are a very successful option in many situations where the original tooth has developed poor color, shape, and contours. It is also a good choice for fractured teeth, gaps between teeth, and in some situations where the tooth position is compromised and there are minor bite-related problems. For some people, superficial stains do not respond well to tooth whitening or bleaching. In these situations, a porcelain veneer may be the best option.

Metal-free fillings

In the past, teeth were filled with a mixture—or amalgam—of different metals. Today that is changing as more natural-looking and metal-free dental fillings are becoming the preferred approach.

Dentists are using more tooth-like materials (composite resins and porcelains) that are both safe and predictable. The most important feature, for many people, is that they look and react more like natural teeth.

We use nature as a guide by constantly looking for materials that more closely mimic teeth in form and function. It is a combination of art and science that takes into account the action of the tooth being restored and its internal shape. A tooth, or portion of a tooth, is then recreated using materials that respond as a healthy tooth would.

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