Nowadays, there are more and more consultations where the main complaints of the patient are aesthetic. However, in the past, pain was the only reason for consultation found with dentists. It is obvious, we are in a new era, where the physical appearance of the person is just as important as his intellect, if not more, in certain areas.
The requirements of modern man have thus evolved. It is no longer a question of restoring function to your teeth but also of restoring their appearance while guaranteeing speed, predictability and above all an irreproachable quality of the final result. Inspired by these criteria, CEREC technology was born from a common need between the patient and the dentist to revolutionize one of the main practices in modern dentistry: ceramic restorations.
CEREC technology: what is it?
Resulting from the innovations of Dr. Werner Mörmann and Dr. Marco Brandestini in 1980, CEREC is an advanced technology used in dentistry for the manufacture of ceramic dental restorations directly on the dental chair, hence its name. Indeed, CEREC is an English acronym which means “Economic and Aesthetic Ceramic Restoration made at the Chair” (Chairside-Economical-Restauration-Aesthetic-Ceramic). This technique is most often used in the fabrication of indirect ceramic crowns and inlays. But can also be used in the manufacture of bridges, crowns on implants and even surgical guides in implantology.
How CEREC technology revolutionized dentistry?
The realization of a ceramic dental crown by the classic method:
Normally, the fabrication of ceramic prosthetic elements such as crowns and indirect inlays is extremely time-consuming. This type of restoration requires clinical time and laboratory time, between the two, the patient will have to make many round trips before receiving his final prosthesis. On average, this process takes about a week, however it may take longer if it involves multiple crowns or if your dentist and/or lab technician are working on other cases at the same time. To help you better visualize the difference between CEREC and the conventional method, here is a diagram summarizing the stages of making a ceramic crown using the conventional method:
CEREC technology makes it possible to summarize all of these steps in a single visit to your dentist, where you can even watch your crown being made before your eyes. Magic isn’t it!
Realization of a ceramic dental crown with the CEREC technique
The principle of the CEREC technique is to replace all the conventionally time-consuming steps with a single computerized robot. Here is the step-by-step process for making a ceramic dental crown with the CEREC technique:
1. Preparation of the tooth for restoration
Just like in the classic method, your dentist will reduce the size of your tooth and then shape it so that it can accommodate the new restoration. Here, your dentist will be more conservative in cutting the tissues of your tooth because the number of sessions is reduced to just one. This will give more robustness and durability to the final restoration.
2. The digital fingerprint
The alginate dental impression experience is definitely not a pleasant one. Alginate is often responsible for a feeling of suffocation and even nausea in some patients. The CEREC technique saves you all that. The impression is then taken by an intra-oral digital camera which makes it possible to capture then transmit, in the space of a few seconds, the images of your teeth to a screen.
3. Restoration design
Using a specialized computer program and the images obtained during the impression-taking stage, your dentist will create a virtual version of your restoration. To do this, he will need to analyze the preparation from several angles, define its contours and limits to finally draw the restoration in 3D. The technology most often used for this step is CAD (Computer Aided Design). Once the final drawing has been obtained, it will be transmitted to a machining chamber.
For the manufacture of the prosthetic part, the device will proceed by a so-called “subtraction” method. The dentist will choose a hot-pressed ceramic block with the color and dimensions corresponding to your case. The prosthesis is then sculpted in the ceramic block in the image of the previously established 3D design. This step takes between 5 and 20 minutes depending on the type of restoration, the block and the device used.
When it comes to computer-aided design, the try-in step is almost unnecessary because the restoration is perfectly congruent to your tooth. In the end, it took you only one morning to leave with a ceramic restoration that meets all the criteria.
The advantages of the CEREC technique
- The CEREC technique uses high quality ceramic which is more durable and can restore 98% of the strength of the tooth.
- It makes it possible to complete the design of the prosthesis in a single session, which is beneficial to the dentist but above all to the patients, especially those among them who do not have the luxury of time.
- The CEREC technique replaces the traditional impression with a fingerprint that is much more precise, reliable and above all comfortable for the patient.
- It eliminates the provisional prosthesis stage of the process. You will therefore not have to live the experience of seeing your temporary prosthesis jump forcing you to run to your dentist to glue it back on.
- In some countries, such as Turkey, the prosthesis by CEREC method can be more financially advantageous for the patient because, unlike the classic method, it uses fewer human and material resources.
In conclusion, CEREC technology is an advanced and innovative system that has successfully revolutionized the way dentists like Dentakay provide dental restorations to their patients. Its ability to produce high-quality, natural-looking restorations in a single appointment has made it a popular choice among dentists and patients alike. As technology continues to evolve, it is likely that we will see even more advancements in dental technology, which will further improve the patient experience and provide better oral health outcomes. -dental.