At Metropolitan Dental, some porcelain crowns, inlays, and onlays can be designed, manufactured, and bonded into place in just one visit, using our computer-aided CEREC 3D system.

Gone are the days when this kind of treatment meant one appointment to prepare the tooth and take an impression for the lab—and another a few weeks later to put in the permanent restoration. With CEREC 3D, the whole procedure only takes about an hour. That’s less than half the time you would usually spend in the chair!

First, we remove the decayed or weakened part of the tooth. Because the CEREC 3D system is so precise, we’re able to preserve much more of the good structure than is normally possible during this step.

Then, instead of having you bite down on a tray of “goop” to create an impression, we use a special camera to take a digital image of your tooth. The CEREC 3D software converts this image into a three-dimensional model of your new tooth—a process you can actually watch on our computer monitor.

With the click of a button, the design is sent to our milling machine, where a high-speed diamond bit creates your restoration from a solid ceramic block. Minutes later, the finished piece is polished and bonded in place—and you’re heading home with a radiant new smile!

Aside from the convenience, this technology also allows us to preserve more of the good tooth structure. Instead of grinding the tooth down as with conventional lab methods, we save as much of the natural tooth structure as possible. The optical CEREC image is able to match your own teeth so well, the only way you will know you had work done is by seeing a tooth coloured restoration in place of your dark silver/mercury fillings.

• One visit
• No messy impressions
• No temporaries
• Most durable all-porcelain restoration
• Metal free

A CEREC tooth restoration isn’t just convenient, it is also healthy. Many years ago, dentists had few options to repair decayed and damaged teeth other than amalgam, gold, and other metals.

With CEREC, your dentist can use strong, tooth colored ceramic materials to restore your teeth to their natural strength, beauty, and function. These materials closely match the composition of natural tooth structure. This means when you eat hot food and then drink something cold, the restoration and tooth expand and contract at almost equal rates. So, your tooth does not crack, and you can go on enjoying your evening. Also, the materials are chemically bonded to your tooth, so your dentist can save as much healthy tooth tissue as possible while providing you with a dental restoration that strengthens your tooth.

CEREC is capable of producing any single tooth restoration. Chipped or discolored front teeth can be repaired with beautiful CEREC porcelain anterior crowns or veneers.

Ask us if CEREC is right for you!