Word of Mouth: Notes from the Dentist

Cerec Machine Upgrades

A couple days ago, I posted about the new material being used for crowns. Today, I’d like to take a little time to explain more about the benefits of one-visit crowns. Traditionally, getting a crown consisted of at least two appointments about two or three weeks apart. The first appointment was to prepare the tooth and take impressions to send to the lab for the fabrication of the crown. At the end of this first appointment, the patient would leave the office with a temporary crown covering the prepared tooth. The second appointment would be used to insert and cement the fabricated crown onto the prepared tooth. This method includes several impressions, two trips to the office, and several hours for the whole process to be complete.

Our office has been offering one-visit crowns since 2002 when the office acquired the Cerec acquisition and milling machines. The Cerec acquisition unit takes CAD/CAM photographs of the tooth to be crowned and then directs the milling unit to shape a block of ceramic material to the natural size and shape of your original tooth.

The materials used by the Cerec are bio-compatible, resist plaque, and result in a natural, tooth colored restoration that does not contain any dark metals. The absence of metal also leads to better translucency and no allergic reactions. The Cerec process also eliminates the need for messy impressions.

While our office has been offering one-visit crowns since 2002, some cases were not able to use this method due to the position of the tooth and the relative frailty of the porcelain used by the machine. With the innovation of the E-max crowns, this procedure can be offered to more patients. Our office is pleased to offer this technology to our patients, saving them time and making the experience more convenient.