Same-Day Dental (CEREC)
CEREC technology is used for same-day teeth repair and improvement.
Ceramic restoration (CEREC) is a cutting-edge technology that allows dentists to create dental solutions in the space of a day, when those solutions have taken days or weeks in the past.
Thanks to this clever CAD (Computer Aided Design) system, dentists can manufacture custom-made crowns, bridges, and veneers, all in the office during your appointment. Traditionally, it would have required sending scans or impressions away to a lab to create these pieces, which would take weeks to send them back.
We can offer these pieces in record time, giving you fast and beautiful solutions for your smile.
What is same-day dental?
Same-day dental restorations is a treatment that uses Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics (CEREC) to provide services that previously required weeks. These services include custom-made crowns, bridges, veneers, and implant crowns.
- Dental Crowns: A dental crown is a thin cap that sits over your tooth, adding strength and protection for that tooth, as well as a more regular shape or a whiter finish.
- Dental Bridges: A dental bridge is a structure that looks and behaves just like a real tooth but is made from ceramic and attached to neighbouring teeth rather than being implanted into the gum and jaw.
- Veneers: Veneers are thin ceramic shells that are permanently cemented onto the front of the tooth, improving the appearance of that tooth and therefore your entire smile.
- Dental Implants: Dental implants are false teeth that replace missing teeth, and are implanted into your gum and jaw. They look and behave like the real thing.
CEREC technology eliminates the need to wait for a lab to create your crown, bridge, veneer, or implant crown.
In the case of emergency dental - such as if you chip your tooth and need a crown to protect it - this means you can receive full treatment with just one visit to your dentist.
Dentist using CEREC to scan the mouth of a patient
In other cases, it can simply reduce the time between beginning treatment and finishing it. For example, if you need a dental implant, you will still need to have an initial surgery to place a fixture into your jaw, then wait for it to heal before being fitted for the crown that will cover the fixture and abutment.
No matter which Ceramic Restoration is right for your needs, it means you’ll receive a custom, natural-looking piece that’s ready in a fraction of the usual time.
How does same-day dental work?
Instead of your dentist taking a mould of your teeth to send to a lab, a CEREC machine will take a 3D scan of your teeth using imaging software to create custom-made solutions.
Then with computer-aided design (CAD), it will use a ceramic block to create your restorative piece, whether that’s a crown, bridge, or veneer. This piece will be colour-matched to your existing teeth, so it won’t stand out in your smile.
This process of creating a ceramic restorative piece will usually take roughly 60 minutes, and during this time, you can relax in the waiting room, or pop out to the shops.
A ceramic block awaiting milling inside the CEREC machine
Advantages of CEREC
Same-Day Dental is a fantastic service thanks to CEREC technology, and it offers several benefits for patients:
- Faster turnaround: With CEREC, patients don’t have to wait for restorative devices to be built, meaning a much faster turnaround and in some cases, treatment that’s possible within a single day.
- No messy moulds: 3D imaging means that patients don’t have to bite into messy, uncomfortable moulds to get a good map of their teeth.
- Less room for human error: The traditional process for creating restorative devices is excellent, but does leave room for human error in the mould-taking process and creation of the device. With CAD technology, there’s much less room for error.
Are there any potential complications?
As with any dental procedure, there are risks associated with getting a same-day treatment.
There is a chance the nerve of the tooth can become sensitive from the drilling, and this usually settles with time, but in rare cases, it may result in the nerve having to be removed from the tooth.
Additionally, any crown, veneer, implant, or bridge can get damaged, cracked, or lost over time.
What to expect from a same-day dental service
Every Ceramic Restoration appointment depends on what treatment you receive, but here’s what to expect for a Same-Day veneer treatment to give you an idea.
- Brush and floss before treatment
- The dentist will prepare your teeth to receive the new restoration
- This will usually include getting a local anaesthetic
- The dentist will use a camera to produce a three-dimensional (3D) model of the tooth
- The dentist will use an on-site milling machine to create a ceramic prosthetic
- CEREC will take roughly 60 minutes to create your ceramic restoration
- Once the restoration is complete and your teeth are ready, your dentist will use a permanent dental cement to attach it to the tooth or teeth
- Your dentist will check your bite and make any final adjustments for the fit
- You can go home and eat normally, with anaesthetic wearing off after a few hours
Our dedicated dentists welcome the opportunity to provide each patient with a full dental evaluation and to indicate whether same-day dental restoration is the right option.
Get in touch with our friendly team to schedule an appointment.
Frequently asked questions
No. Dental implants require an initial surgery to place abutments into the jaw and gum, and the patient must heal before a crown can be placed over that abutment. This process usually takes months.
With Same-Day Dental, patients can be fitted with a ceramic tooth in a single appointment. This process would usually require two appointments spread over the space of a few weeks to create a custom-made tooth, but CEREC technology allows this process to happen within a single appointment.
Same-day dental implants typically cost about the same as traditional implants. Speak to your dentist about an estimate for Same-Day dental implants for your specific smile goals.
Technically speaking, it is possible to get a dental implant on the same day the last tooth was pulled out, however, this requires a specific set of circumstances and those are not often met.
In most cases, patients will need to wait at least a couple of months to allow the site to heal before putting a new implant in.
CEREC stands for (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics) and is the technical term for the technology that makes Same-Day Dental treatment possible.
In treatments that usually require a dentist to take a mould and send that mould to a lab to create a custom ceramic piece (crowns, veneers, implants, and bridges), CEREC instead uses software to scan the mouth and then uses an on-site milling machine and to create the custom ceramic piece on site.
This process only takes 20 minutes or so, so the dentist can put the piece in place immediately, rather than waiting for a second appointment weeks later.
It will usually depend on which treatment you need as to whether or not your insurance will cover some or all of your CEREC treatment. Usually, insurance companies will offer a rebate if the work is necessary for the healthy function of your teeth, but may not cover treatment if it is for aesthetic purposes, such as Same-Day veneers.
Be sure to read your health insurance policy for more information.
A Same-Day dental crown will typically be similar to the cost of a traditional crown. Be sure to speak to your dentist about the expected cost of a CEREC crown for your tooth.
Yes! Same-day dental offers an excellent alternative to traditional crowns. You can get a custom-made ceramic crown within a single appointment, rather than needing two appointments spread out over the space of several weeks.
As the cost is typically similar to the traditional option without any additional risks, there truly are no real downsides to getting a ceramic crown with CEREC technology.