Let’s face it: few of us have perfect teeth. In fact, most of us have probably have a filling or two in our mouths, or a chipped tooth, or even some tooth decay. Not only are these kinds of problems inconvenient and sometimes painful, but they’re often unsightly and diminish our confidence, making us embarrassed to smile or just talk to people. That’s where CEREC 1-hour dentistry comes in. CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic and has been used by thousands of dentists worldwide since 1987. The CEREC system is an advanced dental restorative system that allows us to:

• place crowns
• replace fillings
• restore damaged or decayed teeth
• fabricate dentures or bridges
• create veneers, inlays and onlays

and much more. With the CEREC method, you can completely restore the natural strength and beauty of your teeth with extremely durable, all-ceramic materials that are tooth-colored—all in just one visit to your dentist!

First, the dentist examines your teeth, talks to you about your goals, and determines the best treatment, which could be anything from a simple filling to a full crown depending on how much healthy tooth structure is remaining. Next, the dentist will administer an anesthetic and prepare your tooth for the dental restoration, removing any decayed, damaged, or weakened tooth tissue, just like he would do for many other common restorative procedures.

The next step is where the dentist takes a mould of the tooth (or teeth) to be repaired called an optical impression. Instead of filling a tray with impression “goop” that you must bite into and hold in your mouth until it hardens, the dentist will simply coat your teeth with a non-toxic, tasteless powder, and then camera is used to take a digital picture of the teeth. The entire optical impression process only takes a minute or two.

Finally, CEREC 3D software will take the optical image (from step 2) and convert it into a 3D model on the computer screen using special CEREC equipment. Your dentist will use the 3D model to design your dental restoration, and with the click of a button, the data is sent to a CEREC milling unit right here in our office where the restoration is created from a ceramic block. It usually takes just 10 or 20 minutes to create a durable, fully-functional, all-ceramic, tooth-colored restoration that is ready to be bonded in place. After a quick dry fit, the dentist will polish the restoration and bond it to the prepared tooth (or teeth).

And there you have it! A brand-new beautiful smile in less than 60 minutes with CEREC magic.