by Dr Noel Commins, Toothworkx, Maryborough, QLD
We’ve had our Cerec machine and Cerec Omnicam for six months. There was an initial high learning curve in regard to the software, but it’s a valuable addition to our practice.
What’s good about it
Cerec creates crowns and porcelain fillings ranging in size and complexity. The whole process can be completed in one appointment and the patient doesn’t have to endure a mouthful of impression paste. Initially, we started with two-hour appointments, but we are reducing that. The results have been fantastic.
Cerec eliminated the need for a temporary crown and the wait for the restoration to arrive from the lab. A big problem working in regional tropical Queensland was that the impression material often warped due to the high heat and humidity. This gave me high stress levels, hoping that the crown would fit correctly.
The Cerec Omnicam intra-oral camera has done away with the need for powder when taking a scan of the mouth. It’s a straightforward process that quickly creates a 3-D image on the screen. Cheeks and tongues can get in the way, so we have to be very careful to keep them positioned correctly.
Once the scan is complete and restoration designed, the milling and polishing takes about 20 minutes. Patients love the technology and often watch the restoration being created.
Initial training with Cerec is in-house with further courses available here and overseas. The CerecDoctors website has a multitude of cases and blogs to glean information. A course in Sydney is included in purchase price and was invaluable.
What’s not so good
It’s expensive to purchase. However, if you do a fair number of crowns in your practice, it can actually work out to be a reasonable alternative to lab fees. Doing porcelain inlays and onlays is an added bonus that creates wonderful biocompatible restorations.
Where did you get it
