What is CEREC?
 

CEREC is a machine that fabricates porcelain crowns and fillings, in one visit!  For you, the patient, this means fewer injections, less drilling, and less time out of your hectic schedule for dental care.

This technology is revolutionary and very cutting edge. The dentist takes a digital 3-D picture of your tooth that is sent to a computer. Then the dentist designs your crown or filling on the computer and sends it to a milling machine. This is called CAD/CAM techonolgy. The milling machine is basically a robot that cuts the restoration out of a block of porcelain. The dentist polishes or glazes the restoration and then bonds it in/on your tooth.

CEREC restorations use strong, tooth colored ceramic materials to restore your teeth to their natural strength, beauty, and function. There is no metal and the material is very biologically compatible. These materials closely match the composition of natural tooth structure. This means when you eat hot food and then drink something cold, the restoration and tooth expand and contract at almost equal rates. So, your tooth is less likely to crack.

CEREC technology also makes it possible to restore some teeth that would otherwise need crowns without crowning them. This means you don’t always have to have your tooth ground down.  Many patients with broken or decayed teeth can have a much more conservative restoration known as an onlay instead of a crown.