Cerec Dentist - CEREC Technology

Phoenix, Scottsdale and Payson, AZ.

The growth of cosmetic dentistry has been partly made possible by the astonishing advances in technology of recent decades – in particular, the computer and the laser. The CEREC system has a computer with CAD/CAM software, plus a milling unit to create dental restorations and a special camera to gather patient dental images.

CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics) is made by Sirona Dental Systems, Inc., an international company that designs, manufactures, and markets dental equipment. It was founded in 1997 when the dental division of Siemens AG was bought out.

CAD/CAM stands for Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacturing, and is a type of vector software used by other professions besides dentistry – engineers, for example. It combines aspects of graphics and mathematics to create very precise designs in three dimensions.

A CEREC Example

After preparing your tooth for a crown, Dr. Winterholler will download a digital photo of it to the CEREC computer. The CAD/CAM software will convert the pixels (raster data) to vector points. On the screen, this will show as a 3D diagram of points connected by lines. It is an outline of your tooth and will be modified to outline the crown needed for that tooth, according to your individual specs. It can be zoomed in or out, tilted at different angles, and turned to show all surfaces.

Your cosmetic dentist will choose a small block of dental porcelain to closely match your tooth color and place it in the CEREC porcelain mill. From your customized software data, the mill will sculpt the porcelain into the exact shape and size needed for your dental crown.

At Winterholler Dentistry, we use our CEREC system for all porcelain dental restorations:

• Porcelain crowns;
• Porcelain veneers; and
• Porcelain fillings (inlays and onlays)

Advantages of CEREC Dental Technology

Less time in the dental chair

Use of CEREC for any porcelain restoration accelerates the procedure and saves you from having to come for a second visit. Since we do not need to use a dental laboratory for milling porcelain, there is no waiting period while the lab makes your veneers or dental crowns.

No need for temporaries

With no wait and no second visit, there is no need for you to wear any temporary crown or filling. That relieves you of the worry that the temporary might fall out, and of pain if it becomes loose or wrongly positioned.

Consistently high-quality results

You can depend on our CEREC system, together with the superior skill of Dr. Chris and Dr. Patrice, to give you predictably pleasing results. Since we do your porcelain restorations entirely in-house, we control the entire process from the initial exam to the final fitting.

If you would like to schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Chris or Dr. Patrice, please contact our cosmetic dentistry office and we will be happy to give you a convenient date and time. We serve the areas of Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Payson in Arizona.