Crowns have been milled from porcelain blocks for decades. Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic (CEREC®) has revolutionized dental crown procedures. Traditionally, if crowns, onlays, inlays or dental veneers were required to restore damaged teeth, multiple procedures and a great deal of waiting time in-between would be inevitable. Chairside milling creates these ceramic restorations within minutes in the dental office. This means that many treatments can be completed in just a single visit.

Chairside milling is comprised of several computer-assisted design (CAD) tools and a milling machine that creates custom ceramic restorative devices. Chairside milling can benefit almost anyone needing a ceramic restoration.

How can Chairside milling benefit me?

Chairside milling can benefit almost anyone needing a ceramic restoration. Exceptions include patients who have a prior history of breaking ceramic devices and those with a deep bite. Chairside milling devices are proven to last for over 5 years, but recent research indicates that most Chairside milling-created restorations last for more than 10 years.

Additional advantages associated with Chairside milling include:

• No temporary restorations

• High-quality ceramic products

• Minimal invasiveness

• Less injections and discomfort

• Fewer dental visits

• Cost effectiveness

• More natural tooth is saved

• Long lasting restorations

• Biocompatible solutions

What is the Chairside milling system comprised of?

The Chairside milling System is sometimes called a CAD-CAM system. CAD-CAM means Computer Assisted Design and Computer Assisted Milling. The Chairside milling system has three major components:

Acquisition device: intraoral scanner discussed above. It can be used for milled, printed or cast restorations.

Three-dimensional CAD software: This software allows the dentist to examine the tooth from every angle. It is the closest possible thing to holding the tooth in the hands and rotating it.

Milling device: This unit actually manufactures the custom restoration from the specifications entered into the computer. A ceramic block that best resembles the existing tooth color is chosen and placed into the milling unit. Within minutes, the mill produces the restoration the dentist designed.

What does a Chairside milling restoration procedure involve?

The first step in the procedure is preparing the tooth for the restoration. Depending on your particular case, the dentist will take photos of your affected teeth using an intraoral camera or the intraoral scanner for a preoperative 3D representation of the tooth.

These images are transposed onto the computer screen, where the dentist will 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. It will then be placed in an oven to undergo the crystallization process to add strength to the crown. Before affixing the restoration to the tooth, the dentist will perform a dry fit to ensure the margins are perfect and the contact with the adjacent teeth is adequate. Once a perfect fit is established, the restoration will be polished and affixed to the tooth with dental cement.