South African Dental Group Offers Crowns While You Wait

A South African dentist in Gauteng has become the first in the country to offer a revolutionary new computerised system that enables complex reconstructions such as crowns and veneers...
By: Dewaldt Huysamen
 
Oct. 27, 2011 - PRLog -- A South African dentist in Gauteng has become the first in the country to offer a revolutionary new computerised system that enables complex reconstructions such as crowns and veneers to be prepared while the patient looks on and then to be fitted during the course of a single visit.

This could spell farewell to those uncomfortable impressions and the long wait for a dental mechanic to fashion the crowns or veneers complete a restoration. In its place the Dr Ivan Marx clinics now employ a clever combination of hand held imaging equipment, specialised software and an automated milling machine to produce a perfect restoration at the chair-side.

The process is known as CEREC dentistry and the Dr Ivan Marx practices in Pretoria and Sandton are the first in the country to provide its benefits to their patients. CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic (Aesthetic) Ceramics but is popularly abbreviated to CEramic REConstruction.

Over Thirty Years in the Development

The system was first developed in 1980 by a team at the University of Zurich and, since then it has undergone a steady series of advances of which the most significant have probably been in the development and gradual refinement of the software that integrates the imaging with the milling process that results in the completed, ready-for-use prosthesis.

Today the CEREC systems are produced commercially by German manufacturer “Sirona Dental”, a company that began as a buy out of the dental division of Siemens and has been responsible for all of the major advances in this technology since 1997.

The decision by the Dr Ivan Marx group to proceed with the purchase of CEREC equipment and to undergo the intensive training required for its use has positioned it as the South African leader in the field of restorative ceramic dentistry.

Time Saved Means Patients Pay Less

In CEREC dentistry, it is still necessary for the practitioner to make an impression on which the restoration can be modelled but, instead of creating a physical mould, the technology uses 3D imaging techniques to create an image of the cavity, and the neighbouring teeth in both upper and lower jaws. The detailed scanning allows for a crown to be perfectly aligned and integrated with the remaining teeth and restore the ideal bite just as when using a physical mould.

A small hand-held scanner is used in the process and integrates directly with the software that the dentist to adjust the final orientation of the crown, select the material from which it is to be milled and even adjust the colour gradient so as to obtain a perfect match.

With all the data in place, it is then a simple matter for the practitioner to activate the process that will see the crown milled and ready for fitting within 10 minutes or less. Compare that to a preliminary visit to take impressions and fit a temporary crown and then a second visit to replace the temporary crown with the permanent one and the savings to the patient could be considerable.

The need for just a single visit also means that fewer injections of local anaesthetic will be required and that the whole process becomes far less stressful from the patient’s viewpoint. Halving the number of appointments need also means that dentists who use this technology are also able to reduce their, often lengthy, waiting lists

Advanced Ceramics More Natural and Durable

A visit to a Dr Ivan Marx practice will not simply mean that your restoration is completed more quickly and more cheaply, however. The modern ceramic materials used in this exciting new technology have undergone some striking advances as well.

Not only are modern ceramics tougher, they are also able to mimic the behaviour of natural tooth material far better than earlier porcelain crowns, inlays or onlays. These new restorations expand and contract with heat and cold just like the natural tooth and thus remain rigidly in place. In addition, milling from a solid block also leads to a stronger restoration than the older hand-layered and pressed products.

Add to that, the fact this type of procedure normally allows more of the original tooth structure to be conserved and there are certainly some very compelling reasons to believe that CEREC will soon become the procedure of choice for restorative dental work.

The benefits of CEREC, could certainly justify the journey to Pretoria or Sandton to attend one of the innovative Dr Ivan Marx practices. Visit http://www.yourdentist.co.za now for more information.

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We are experts in the field of cosmetic dentistry having the latest industry leading technology and machines to ensure you get the best results.
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Source:Dewaldt Huysamen
Email:***@yourdentist.co.za
Zip:0002
Tags:Dentist, Cosmetic Dentist, South Africa Dentist, Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Implants
Industry:Health, Medical, Dental
Location:Pretoria - Gauteng - South Africa
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