"Thank you for the fab treatment! The fact that I was able to walk in with a damaged tooth and walk out with a better than new one was amazing!" Julie.
Click on the headers below to find out how our incredible CEREC
CAD/CAM system can help you.
What is CEREC?
CEREC® is an acronym for CEramic REConstruction and is one of the most exciting technologies in dentistry.
CEREC is an in-surgery computer system that allows us to replace damaged or missing tooth structure with a ceramic material that's as close to natural tooth as is possible. This is all done while you are in the practice - in just one visit.
Even badly broken teeth which would normally be extracted can often be saved and restored using CEREC.
Why we don't use Amalgam (Silver Mercury) fillings?
Silver fillings contain mercury. They add no strength to the tooth and teeth eventually crack around them. They have been in use for over 150 years and although it is not thought the amount of mercury released is harmful, I wouldn’t want silver/mercury in my own or my family’s teeth.
White fillings (composite resin) work well in small cavities and front teeth but soon break down in larger cavities. They also contain considerable amounts of plastic/chemicals.
With conventional dentistry, the above tooth would have been filed down to a ‘stump’ and an impression taken to make a mould. A temporary crown (cap) would be fitted and two weeks later the permanent crown fitted, either in gold or metal/porcelain.
With CEREC©, I only needed to remove the metal filling and a little weak tooth enamel, saving far more tooth. All completed in just one visit with no need to take impressions or make temporaries.
What is the procedure?
Your tooth is prepared and a photo is taken with the CEREC infra red ‘tooth’ camera and because the CEREC process is so precise, far more of your tooth can be conserved compared to the conventional 'crown' method.
The computer then produces a complete high definition 3D model.
You can then watch your new restoration (crown/inlay/veneer) being designed by Dr Smyth on the 3D model. The completed design is ‘beamed’ wirelessly to the CEREC milling machine.
An all-ceramic CEREC block is chosen to match the colour of your teeth and placed into the CEREC milling machine.
The block is then precisely carved to produce your new restoration.
Finally, the custom made CEREC restoration is glazed and then ‘bonded’ seamlessly into the tooth, strengthening and sealing it at the same time - and all in about an hour!
What can be done with CEREC?
Anything we would normally have to make via a laboratory, can be made in the practice the very same day with CEREC.
Crowns, Veneers, Inlays and Fillings. Whether just a single tooth needs restoring or multiple teeth, CEREC can deliver. Below are some more examples of 'before' and 'after' treatments with CEREC.
Inlays’ in back teeth
Two old amalgam fillings replaced with CEREC Inlays
Full Crowns
Broken metal/porcelain crown New CEREC all-ceramic crown showing metal underneath
Front Tooth Crown
- a broken Incisor tooth restored with a CEREC crown.
Amalgam replacement
This lady was concerned about the mercury in her amalgam fillings. I restored her four back teeth with CEREC in a single appointment of just a few hours.
CEREC© Smile Make-Over
Three CEREC© crowns, one CEREC© veneer and a Whitening treatment gave this patient the smile she desired.
More 'before and after' pictures of our patients treated using CEREC can be found on our Cosmetic Dentistry page
How Long do CEREC restorations last?
Gold has always been the longest lasting dental restorative material – until now.
CEREC© CAD/CAM restorations are now outlasting gold and gold restorations can last up to 20 years or more.
CEREC is now becoming the standard against which other materials are tested.
CEREC is made by Sirona GmbH (formally Siemens) in Germany - more information on the system and materials can be found on the Sirona website.
The Benefits of CEREC
The main advantages of the CEREC are:-
☺ All Ceramic material – no metal in your mouth
☺ Little loss of tooth tissue (less drilling!)
☺ Only one visit
☺ Tooth coloured restoration - looks and feels completely natural
☺ No 'gooey' moulds to be taken
☺ No temporaries
Dr Smyth is a leading UK expert in the CEREC system and lectures both nationally and internationally on the CEREC 3D system. He regularly holds courses for other dentists on CEREC and advanced cosmetic dentistry at The Dental Training Institute in Surrey. Further details on www.drcerec.co.uk.
(CEREC is a registered trademark of Sirona Dental Systems GmbH)
