Get a Dental Crown in One Visit with CEREC

Dr. Shafer is proud to offer you dental crowns and onlays that can be placed in just one day. Traditionally, patients had to use two appointments, each 2-3 weeks apart, and wear a temporary crown in the meantime. Now with CEREC^®, in just one visit you'll go home with your permanent, complete crown or onlay!

CEREC is comprised of several computer-assisted design tools and a milling machine that creates custom ceramic restorative devices. The CEREC system uses state-of-the-art CAD/CAM (Computer Assisted Design and Computer Assisted Milling) technology to save patients precious time and unneeded costs.

How can CEREC benefit you?

CEREC can benefit almost anyone needing a ceramic restoration. Benefits include:

• No temporary restorations
  
• High-quality ceramic products
  
• Minimal invasiveness
• Digital images (no goopy impressions)
  
• Less injections and discomfort
  
• Fewer dental visits
  
• Cost effectiveness
  
• More natural tooth is saved
  
• Long-lasting restorations
  
  

What does a CEREC restoration procedure involve?

The first step in the procedure is preparing the tooth for the restoration. Depending on your particular case, we'll take photos of your affected teeth using our Omnicam, sending a three-dimensional, colored model to the CEREC machine. 

These images are transposed onto the computer screen, where we'll view the tooth from every angle and design the final restoration. When the design is complete, it will be transmitted to the milling unit.

The dentist will insert a block of ceramic, matching your tooth color, into the milling machine which will then create the full crown, onlay, inlay, or veneer. Before affixing the restoration to the tooth, the dentist will perform a dry fit to ensure comfort. Once a perfect fit is established, the restoration will be polished and affixed to the tooth with dental cement.