An innovative new technology, CEREC, or Chairside Economical Restorations Esthetic Ceramic, allows you to have a restoration molded and placed in a single visit.
Traditionally, restorations such as crowns and veneers are placed in a two-part process. On the first visit, your teeth are prepared for the restoration and the dentist takes a mold. A temporary restoration is then placed, and the mold goes to a lab where your final, custom-made restoration is crafted. When it returns from the lab, it’s permanently affixed during a second visit.
CEREC Procedure
With CEREC, much less tooth needs to be removed and everything happens in a single visit. Rather than using the usual gel-like substance to take a mold of your teeth, a special powder is applied to the teeth, and Dr. LeSueur or Dr. Dodaro takes detailed digital pictures. These pictures are converted into a 3D computer model. This CEREC computer then directs a computer milling machine to mill the restoration from a block of porcelain, which Dr. LeSueur or Dr. Dodaro can then place immediately on your teeth.
The small ceramic blocks used by CEREC technology are color-matched and formulated to mimic your natural enamel so your restorations look and feel very much like your natural teeth. Dr. LeSueur and Dr. Dodaro still use traditional cosmetic dentistry methods. However, CEREC offers a high-tech, convenient alternative in many instances saving patients both time and problems associated with temporary restorations.
If you’re in the Phoenix, Scottsdale or Mesa, Arizona area and would like more information about CEREC technology, please contact experienced cosmetic dentists Dr. Scott LeSueur or Dr. Charles Dodaro to find out how CEREC works and how it can help you.