What is CEREC?

cerec bellevue

Hi, my name is Peter Wong from Hidden Valley Smiles and I’m going to offer you information regarding one of the most frequently asked questions that we get here in our dental office: “Can you make a crown for me in one visit?

The short answer is yes. With the help of computer-aided technology, in our dental lab, we can fabricate crowns and other ceramic restorations for you in just one single visit. CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic) is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic. That’s a lot of words, but it means exactly what it says: a cost-effective way to create a wide range of dental prosthesis using digital modeling and CAD/CAM dentistry (Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing). When your tooth is ready to go, instead of a gooey impression, we take a digital picture of the tooth to create a virtual model of it on our computer screen and then digitally design the restoration. We then send it to our high-speed robotic milling machine and depending on its size, we are ready to try in and place in just 8 to 12 minutes.

Here is the list of the obvious CEREC benefits for you:

-one visit
-local anesthetic is only used once
-less total time
-no impression
-no temporary crown for two to three weeks
-immediate use

To make the most of the technology involved in a CEREC prosthetic, you should seek out a dentist who specializes in this type of procedure. While CEREC prostheses are the greatest currently available, they still have the limits that each form of prosthesis has, so you and your dentist will need to discuss which options are best for you in terms of treatment. However, with the proper technology and the appropriate dentist, you may enhance not only your oral health but also your general well-being. If you would like to know more about the CEREC machine, visit our article here!