Same-Day Computer-Generated Tooth Restorations

Patients needing decayed, damaged, or chipped teeth restored can now have it done in about an hour. Typically, this process involves the services of an off-site dental laboratory and requires two to three office visits. Today, Cerec®, a computerized dental restorative system, is being used by dentists to digitally design, build and place restorations in one visit.

"The patient demand is for cosmetically pleasing results in less time, and the Cerec is meeting that demand," explains Richard Masek, DDS, San Diego, CA, and President of the Academy of Computerized Dentistry. "The Cerec System provides a quick, economical way to restore a damaged tooth with metal-free, durable material that matches the natural color of teeth."

According to Masek, computer-generated restorations are being widely used as an esthetic alternative to the traditional crown, the most common restoration used to cover or "cap" the damaged or discolored portion of a tooth.

The traditional crown procedure begins with the administration of a local anesthetic to the patient to numb the area so the dentist can prepare the tooth by removing the decayed area. When the preparation is complete, an impression is made by the dentist to obtain a mold of the area that needs to be restored. The patient is then fitted with a temporary crown and sent home. The impression is sent to a dental laboratory, where a technician hand-makes a restoration. About two weeks later, the patient returns, the temporary is then removed and the lab-fabricated crown is placed when the patient returns.

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"Making an impression is not always a pleasant experience for the patient, who may gag on the gooey material used to obtain an imprint of the damaged area," explains Masek. "Once the temporary is placed, it sometimes cracks or fall out, causing discomfort for the patient that would require an unscheduled return visit to fit a replacement temporary."

Alternatively, in one appointment, the Cerec System uses CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing) technology, eliminating the need to make traditional impressions or create temporaries. According to Stuart Ross, DMD, Washington, DC, "In place of the traditional impression, an optical camera is used to take a three-dimensional digital image of the prepared area. The image is then electronically transferred to a computer and software helps us virtually design the restoration on screen."

When design is complete, the information is sent to a computer-controlled milling unit where, in minutes, diamond burs mill the restoration from a solid block of ceramic or resin-based tooth-colored material.

"The system is so precise that it allows us to conserve more healthy tooth structure during the preparation stage. This means less drilling and an outstanding fit," adds Ross.

In addition to creating crowns, the Cerec System can be used to construct any single-tooth restorations such as veneers, ultra-thin laminates used to camouflage gaps and repair chipped, discolored, or worn teeth. Cerec restorations also serve as a safe, esthetic alternative to unsightly silver fillings.

"With the Cerec System, the dentist has total control over timing, fit and color," states Dennis Fasbinder, DDS, Director of Advanced Education in General Dentistry, The University of Michigan. "The Cerec machine not only performs necessary dental procedures, but does so in a way that saves patients time and provides the esthetic results they're looking for."

Cerec, manufactured by Sirona Dental Systems, Bensheim, Germany, has over a decade of clinical research and documentation to support the technology. The first patient was treated with the Cerec at the University of Zurich in 1985. Since then, the technology has been continuously enhanced through ongoing research and development. The most recent product enhancements are found in Sirona's Cerec 3 model, a compact, user-friendly, Windows-based system that is driving a growing number of dentists to incorporate the technology into their practice. To date, close to 2000 dentists in the United States are providing computer-generated tooth restorations. Cerec restorations are covered by most dental insurance plans. Cerec is the only computerized restorative system for the dental operatory.

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Last Updated October 2004