Dental practice is changing and changing fast. The improvements to the way that dentists can practice are bringing numerous benefits to patients. A common complaint in the past was that people often had to spend too long at the surgery and would then have to return for repeat visits, disrupting their work and family life in the process. All this is changing thanks to a set of techniques called CEREC that are becoming ever more commonplace in British dental surgeries.
The reduction in the time that many procedures require you to actually be present in the surgery, is nothing short of startling. A common practice that is benefiting from CEREC is having porcelain dental crowns or veneers fitted to conceal cracked, chipped, broken down or badly stained teeth. In the past, x-rays would have to be take and then sent to a lab for development. You would then have to return for another appointment once the veneer or crown had been made from the x-rays; all in all a quite cumbersome process.
Now, using CEREC techniques, dentists can take three dimensional digital x-rays of your teeth and send the data to an online milling machine which will sculpt a new veneer or crown in just over five minutes. Your dentist can fit it there and then and you can walk away from the surgery with a perfect looking smile and plenty of time to get on with your day.
The best thing about this new technology, for some, is the fact that it is not increasing prices for the patient. Because it is speeding up processes and even reducing labour costs, treatments using CEREC are usually of a very similar cost to the patient. Next time you see your City of Leeds dentist, ask them how they are using CEREC in their surgery.
Tags: cerec, dental crowns
