What is CEREC?

CEREC Dental Technology

Having damaged teeth is difficult, but sometimes going to the dentist can be even more difficult. Especially when they have to make messy impressions, the turnaround time is weeks and leaves you vulnerable in the meantime. Luckily enough at Romeoville Dental Center, our procedures for crowns require no messy impressions and allow you to be in and out in one visit thanks to the Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic (CEREC).

What is CEREC?

CEREC is a method of dental restoration that can be performed in-house at the clinic. It is used to repair damage to your teeth from decay or injury. Your restorations are designed using a CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing). This method allows it to make impressions and then that information goes to another unit where it fabricates ceramic restoration of the teeth.

Advantages of CEREC

The CEREC system has shown positive impacts that are easier, faster, and more affordable than other methods. The biggest advantage of CEREC is that the restoration process can be completed in one visit. Scheduling multiple visits can be a pain, so being able to get it all done in one go is great! Having a solution that can do a restoration in a single appointment also takes away the stress of having to find temporary solutions, which could later cause other problems like pain, tenderness, and swelling. Another advantage is that the CAD/CAM systems impressions are typically very accurate and allow dental professionals to have more control in the process due to the precision of the CAD/CAM system.

How Long Do CEREC Crowns Last?

The lifespan of CEREC crowns, either for your natural teeth or dental implant, depends on a variety of factors such as the patient’s oral hygiene, however, a long-term study showed that more than 85% of CEREC implants last 10 years or more. With good care, CEREC crowns can last up to 20 years. To extend the lifetime of your implants you should take extra precautions like wearing a custom night guard if you grind your teeth or wearing a mouth guard if you are participating in sports.

If you have damaged teeth or other problems that are bothering you, you should contact your dentist. If your situation fits, they may suggest using the CEREC system.

If you have any questions about your damaged teeth, please call our office at 815-886-0875.