New 3-D Computer Magic Cuts Waiting Time for Replacement Teeth

From Two Weeks to Less Than Two Hours

Los Altos, CA— (HealthNewsDigest.com)...Dental patients will no longer have to wait two weeks or more for new crowns, veneers and fillings thanks to some movie-like magic being introduced to dentists' offices. New computer software can now convert a single photograph of a tooth needing repair into a futuristic three-dimensional image, which is then immediately transformed into a perfectly-shaped real tooth.

The computer technology is called CEREC, manufactured by Germany-based Sirona. Through a process called "Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacture" (CAD/CAM), dentists convert a digital photo into a microscopically accurate "optical impression" of the tooth. After some minor tweaking, the image is electronically sent to a second machine that grinds out the restoration right there in the dentist's office.

"It's literally like a scene out of the movie, 'The Matrix,'" says Dr. Bruce Hartley, whose Northern California office is one of the first in the San Francisco Bay Area to have this technology. "The unique software transforms one digital photo into a 360° image that I can turn around and look at from any direction."

A FRACTION OF THE TIME

According to Dr. Hartley, a dentist normally has to go through the process of taking a physical impression of the tooth, creating a mold, sending it off to a lab and, when it comes back in a couple of weeks, hoping that it fits and the color is right. "If any one of those things goes wrong, whether by human error or technical error, we have to start the whole process all over again, which will take another two weeks," he says.

"The ability to generate a digital image and produce an actual tooth in-office, however, will boil down what was once a two-week, multi-visit process to about an hour and a half," says Dr. Hartley. "A single sitting also means just one shot of anesthetic, instead of getting a new dose each visit."

HOW IT WORKS

The process occurs in just a few steps. First, the tooth is prepared to receive the new restoration by removing areas of decay, including any old or broken fillings or caps. Next, the dentist takes a photo of the prepped tooth using a small, specially-designed digital camera attached by a wire to the CEREC computer. Then the new software transforms the photo into a color, three-dimensional image that the dentist fine-tunes to create the final design of the crown, inlay or other restoration.

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"However, if the old cap or filling has a good shape, we may take an additional photo, one of the tooth before preparation and one after," says Dr. Hartley. "We'll then superimpose one picture on top of the other – called the correlation model technique – and come up with the tooth design." Next, the dentist takes a tooth-colored ceramic block from among hundreds of colors and sizes and places it into the in-office milling machine, which resembles a box with two diamond-tipped drills inside. The final tooth design is transmitted to the milling unit, and the two diamond cutters move around the block and carve out the tooth.

"From there, we just do the final fitting of the restoration onto the tooth," says Dr. Hartley. "Once we know it fits, we take a fine-grit diamond drill bit and polish and shape the tooth to perfection. And the ceramic material is greatly superior to anything else out there as far as strength and fit are concerned, including silver or composite fillings."

SO LONG, TEMPS

The other advantage of the in-office CAD/CAM process is the elimination of the temporary caps and inlays patients otherwise have to wear between visits. "Temporaries fall out 10 to 15% of the time and for many, that means yet another trip to the dentist to have it repaired," says Dr. Hartley. "If patients don't get the temporary fixed, they may develop pain and/or an infection. And without the temporary there to brace it, the tooth can even shift and cause the dentist to have to take an entirely new impression and start the whole process over again."

ABOUT DR. BRUCE HARTLEY:

Since opening the Peninsula Center of Cosmetic Dentistry in 1986, Dr. Bruce Hartley has been committed to providing the highest standards of quality and care to his patients. As a master craftsman and dental artist, he has bonded over 7,000 porcelain restorations to renew and create beautiful smiles for his patients. Dr. Hartley's cosmetic dentistry has been featured on NBC's Today Show, published in the Journal Of Cosmetic Dentistry, San Jose Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Altos Town Crier, and seen on models in magazines and in newspaper advertising. His dedication to his patients and profession is evidenced by many academic and dental honors bestowed upon him from his years in dental school and practice. Dr. Hartley, a native of California, received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Southern California Dental School with the highest honors.

Dr. Hartley is a member of the California Dental Association, the American Dental Association, the Mid Peninsula Dental Society, and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Additional information on Dr. Hartley and the Peninsula Center of Cosmetic Dentistry can be found at www.pccd.net.