Cerec© is a cad/cam milling machine
manufactured by Sirona. In essence, a tooth is prepared by
removing old filling material and shaping any broken portions.
An intraoral camera, that is a highly precise optoelectronic
device, takes a picture of the prepared tooth. The
computer then processes the image and designs a shape for your
new restoration.
At this point, a block of industrial grade porcelain,
that matches your tooth color, is positioned in the machine and
your custom, porcelain restoration is milled from this block.
The restoration is then chemically and mechanically bonded to
the remaining tooth structure. It is adjusted and polished
to give the look and feel of natural tooth enamel.
This procedure is usually completed in one visit. Teeth
that have traditionally required crowns, can now be restored
with this technique, thereby preserving natural, healthy tooth
structure. Adjacent and opposing teeth, surrounding gum
tissue and internal nerve tissue respond favorably to this more
conservative restoration as compared to full crowns.
It has been our experience that Cerec©
restorations have fewer post operative problems than crowns,
such as recurrent decay, endodontic problems, and fractures.
The picture on the left shows a tooth with a
old, broken filling. The picture on the right shows the same
tooth after a porcelain restoration was placed.
