If you've had a broken tooth, you're all too familiar with the arduous task of getting a dental crown. The tooth has to be drilled, then a mold is made and sent away to a lab to be made. A temporary crown is placed on the tooth until the permanent one comes in, at which time the patient must return for another appointment, and sometimes that crown doesn't fit right and you have to return once again.
Model Photo
Cosmetic dentist Dr. Bill Dorfman demonstrated new CEREC technology live on The Doctors. The system eliminates the need for all of the return visits by milling a new crown in about 30 seconds. Using digital and wireless technology, the physician takes a digital photograph of the tooth and the computer instantly renders a model that becomes the pattern for the crown. The milling machine is in the office and when the dentist sends the information to the machine, it chisels your crown from strong, color matched porcelain material and in only seconds.
Once the crown is made, the dentist simply cements it to the tooth and uses a blue laser light to cure the cement so it hardens right away. The entire process from beginning to end can have you in and out of the dentist's office in only 30 minutes.
