CEREC, single-visit ceramic restorations

We are pleased to offer our patients CEREC restoration services – a superior method of creating precisely-designed, color-matched and highly durable ceramic restorations right in our office. From simple fillings to full crowns to veneers, CEREC delivers the results you need in a single appointment. CEREC allows you to be in and out with a permanent all ceramic restoration. This means fewer injections, less drilling, no temporary restorations and most importantly, less time out of your hectic schedule.

A CEREC tooth restoration isn't just convenient, it is also healthy.  Dentists now have more options to repair decayed and damaged teeth other than amalgam, gold, and other metals.  With CEREC, we use strong, tooth colored ceramic materials to restore your teeth to their natural strength, beauty, and function.  These materials closely match the composition of the 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 does not crack, and you can go on enjoying your evening.  Also, the materials are chemically bonded to your tooth, so we can save as much healthy tooth tissue as possible while providing you with a dental restoration that strengthens your tooth.

The CEREC procedure starts with a careful examination of the tooth to determine the appropriate treatment.  It could be a simple filling, or a full crown, depending on how much healthy tooth structure is remaining.  Next, we administer an anesthetic and prepare your tooth for the restoration, removing decayed and weakened tooth tissue. 

Then, we take an optical impression of the prepared tooth.  Instead of filling a tray with impression "goop" that you must bite into and hold in your mouth until it hardens, the tooth will be coated with a non-toxic, tasteless powder.  A camera is then used to take a digital picture of your tooth.  This whole optical impression process only takes a minute or two.

The CEREC 3D software takes the digital picture and converts it into a 3-dimensional virtual model on the computer screen.  We next use our expertise to design the restoration using the CEREC 3D computer program.  Once a design is completed, it is sent to a separate milling machine where a ceramic block is inserted for milling.

Within 20 minutes your all-ceramic, tooth-colored restoration is finished and ready to bond in place.   The restoration is checked for proper fit and bite and then polished and bonded to the prepared tooth.  Your tooth is restored back to its natural form, function and beauty. All of this is done in a single appointment!