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The future of dentistry with CEREC from City of Leeds dentist

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

The last fifty years has seen incredible progress in the use of technology in all fields. This advance can be studied in microcosm in the world of dentistry. The dentist’s surgery today is unrecognisable from the surgeries of fifty or even twenty years ago. Modern surgeries are more like health spas than hospitals and the equipment and technology available mirrors this change.

One of the newest and most incredible of these technological leaps forward is the advent of CEREC. So new that only a small number of dentists are even using it, CEREC stands for CERamic REconstruction and involves the use of computer-aided design and manufacture to create dental crowns and veneers in only a fraction of the time it previously took. CEREC has been made possible by the advent of digital x-rays and 3D imaging that allows the dentist to build up an incredibly accurate three-dimensional picture of the patient’s mouth. The dentist is then able to use this image to design microscopically accurate crowns and veneers to remedy dental problems such as tooth decay and discoloration. Once satisfied with the computer projection, the dentist can instruct a computer-guided mill to sculpt the new crown from a single piece of porcelain. This process takes an incredible six-minutes per tooth which is miraculous when you consider the old methods of manufacture. First the dentist would have to take several dental moulds and x-rays and allow several days for developing. Then the manufacturing process would take place in a laboratory and could take up to two weeks. It is now possible to have a new crown designed and fitted in your lunch hour and to a higher standard of accuracy.

CEREC technology can also be used to fabricate porcelain fillings, or inlays, to fit specifically in large dental cavities. These porcelain fillings are incredibly durable and can be matched to closely resemble the colour of the patient’s existing teeth. This colour matching process will also be used when fitting any crown or veneer.

CEREC really is the future of dentistry. It is revolutionising the dental process and reducing waiting and appointment times for all patients. Ask a City of Leeds dentist about the latest CEREC technology and you could experience the future, today.