CAD/CAM

Serving Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe and Scottsdale, Arizona

CAD/CAM is technology that has been used by engineers and manufacturers for many years, but which has only become widely used in cosmetic dentistry over the past decade. It stands for Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing.

Through the 1990’s and even today the most common way to create dental restorations, such as porcelain crowns or inlays and onlays is by using a rubber mold to create an impression of patients’ teeth. The impression is then sent to a dental lab where it is used to create a ceramic restoration. This time-consuming technique is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

How CAD/CAM Dentistry Works

Today, computer software can create 3D images of your teeth. Those images can then be used to map out the 3-dimensional shape of a dental restoration. This is the CAD portion; using computer software to design the shape of a porcelain crown or filling.

Once the restoration has been designed by the computer and cosmetic dentist, the information is sent to a sculpting machine (milling) which creates the restoration to the exact specifications of the design through CAM. The restoration is made out of dental ceramic which looks and feels like your natural tooth enamel and which, when using proper adhesive, seals and protects the tooth much better than dental restorations made by hand can usually do, providing several benefits:

• Accuracy of shape prevents gapping between tooth crowns and surrounding teeth
• Immediate 3D images remove the need for taking time-consuming impressions of teeth
• Computer sculpting creates a much healthier restoration for the tooth in a matter of minutes
• Short sculpting time allows the dentist to place your dental restoration during the same visit, instead of requiring two visits

CAD/CAM Technology in Our Office

Our office uses CEREC, a CAD/CAM system designed specifically for creating porcelain dental restorations. Because of our experience using CEREC, we are able to offer most patients same-day porcelain crowns, inlays and onlays. The CEREC system also allows us to choose the color of porcelain which will most closely matches your natural tooth color, repairing your teeth with natural-looking, as well as safer, dental restorations.

We are proud to offer our patients the most advanced cosmetic dentistry technology available. Patients of all ages are invited to experience the benefits of same-day dental restorations through our office.

For more information about same-day dental restorations, please contact experienced cosmetic dentists Dr. LeSueur and Dr. Dodaro today, serving patients throughout Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe and Mesa, Arizona.