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Frequently the best way to restore a damaged tooth comes in the form of a crown, the workhorse of modern dentistry.  Usually it is a tooth that has had previous restorations like a filling or root canal and the fillings are aged or the tooth just needs more protection.

For decades this required two steps.  In the first step the dentist prepared the tooth for a crown like #2 in the picture above.  Once the tooth was prepared an impression was made and a temporary crown, usually made of aluminum or plastic, was glued in place to protect the tooth.  The second step needed a dental laboratory to make the crown using the impression the dentist made of the tooth.  The patient wore the temporary before the final crown could be glued in place at a second visit, generally two weeks later.

And then along comes technology, in the form of  CEREC…

Now the crown can be made in about ten minutes right in front of the patient so there’s no need for an impression, a temporary, or a second visit.  After preparing the tooth for the crown, a 3D scan is taken of the tooth and the doctor designs the crown using the sophisticated dental software.  Once the design is complete, a small block of ceramic material is placed in the milling unit and diamond bits mill the crown to fit the tooth exactly.

Once the porcelain is milled it can bonded in place to help support the tooth.

On occasion some teeth require custom shading which can easily be done in a few minutes in a small glazing oven.

The benefits that technology allows dentistry and therefore dental patients have never been better.  Cerec now adds the benefit of custom, single-visit crowns to save time for patients.

Dr. Crosby