Instead of making several trips to the dentist for veneers, crowns or implants, it’s now possible to complete these cosmetic dental procedures in as little as one appointment. CAD or CAM technology, which stands for computer aided design and computer-aided manufacturing, helps dental professionals perform a restoration in a more efficient and precise manner.
Here’s how a CAD/CAM restoration procedure will go:
-
Once your teeth are cleaned, a practitioner will capture several images of the affected tooth (or teeth) using an optical scanner. This device will combine all of the images of the targeted area to form a 3D image of your teeth.
-
The dentist will then use the CAD software to begin designing the restored tooth. Once the design is complete, a milling machine will shape your crown, veneer or other dental restoration from ceramic materials.
-
After the restoration is completed, a dental professional will stain, glaze and polish your new tooth to give it a natural looking appearance. The dentist will finish up this process by securely cementing the restoration onto the targeted area.
In total, a CAD/CAM dental procedure can take anywhere from 45 minutes to a couple of hours to complete. This might still seem like a long period of time, especially when you compare the CAD/CAM process to how short each appointment is when you use traditional laboratory methods.
This same-day procedure saves you from waiting days or weeks between appointments to get your new impressions delivered and secured in your mouth.
Some of the other benefits of choosing CAD/CAM technology to complete a dental restoration include:
-
Experience Little To No Disruption To Your Schedule – With this procedure taking place in just one visit, you won’t have to worry about missing multiple days of work or other important events occurring in your life. Of course, you’ll need to follow up with your dentist after the procedure to make sure the impression works and is well-maintained. These follow up appointments still do not compare to the time a traditional, lab-centric process will take.
-
Get A More Precise Restoration – Impressions do an excellent job of capturing your tooth’s structure, but they’re not always perfect. A digital impression captured with CAD/CAM technology will be able to more precisely capture the details of your affected tooth and the teeth surrounding it as well.
-
Save With In-House Dental Costs – By conducting the entire restoration procedure in-house, the dentist is able to save on shipping and other fees associated with sending a physical impression off to a lab. In turn, this might affect the final cost a patient needs to pay for this procedure. By completing this restoration in one visit, a patient also avoids paying several co-pays for multiple appointments.
Discover State-Of-The-Art Dental Implants In Highland Park, IL
At Chicago Beautiful Smiles, we’re pleased to offer patients a precise and efficient option for dental restorations. Our Same-Day Dentistry procedure uses CAD/CAM technology to create and place crowns, inlays, implants, and more in just one appointment.
Whether you’re repairing a broken tooth or seeking dental veneers in Highland Park, IL, our office in Glenview will be more than happy to help you. Call our office to schedule your consultation for a same-day dental procedure today!
