Cerec digital dentistry

CEREC is a digital workflow that scans a tooth, designs a restoration, and mills it from a ceramic block for clinical fitting.

It can be used for selected crowns, inlays, onlays, and veneers, but the suitable material and workflow depend on the tooth and bite.

An intraoral scanner records the prepared tooth and neighbouring teeth, computer-aided design creates the restoration, and a milling unit shapes a ceramic block before finishing and bonding.

The workflow is different from a conventional impression and laboratory route, but both still require diagnosis, tooth preparation, occlusal checks, and a properly sealed restoration.

Ask the dentist to assess the remaining enamel, crack risk, gum position, bite forces, and cosmetic goals before selecting a digitally designed restoration.

The clinical steps may include caries removal, preparation, scanning, virtual design, milling, try-in, contact and bite adjustment, polishing, and adhesive cementation.

Seek an assessment when a tooth is fractured, heavily restored, painful, or difficult to chew with. A digital workflow cannot replace treatment of infected pulp, gum disease, or an unstable bite.

A clinician should check the restoration margins, contacts, colour, occlusion, and the health of the tooth before final bonding.

Ask which restoration and ceramic are planned, how much tooth structure must be removed, and whether the restoration is designed and milled in the clinic or sent to a laboratory.

Ask how the tooth will be protected if the restoration needs adjustment and how to clean around its margins.