On January 17th, 2015 our PGY1 AEGD residents had the opportunity to participate in an exclusive hands-on workshop using the latest Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics (CEREC) sponsored by Patterson Dental. This innovative method of CAD/CAM dentistry was developed by W. Mörmann and M. Brandestini at the University of Zurich in 1980 for creating dental restorations. Using CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing), allows dentists to construct, produce, and insert individual ceramic restorations directly at the point of treatment (chairside) in a single appointment, rather than over multiple appointments with labside work in between. The first applications were successfully carried out on patients in 1985.

CAD/CAM dentistry involves a digital impression from one or more scans (using visible light scanning, digital radiographs, CT scans, or other methods), designing the restoration on the computer (computer-aided design, leading to a 3D model), and manufacturing the restoration (computer-aided manufacturing, whether by CNC milling, 3D printing, or other means). In order to carry all of these steps out in the dentist’s office – chairside – the dentist requires an image acquisition unit with an intraoral camera, the corresponding designing software, and a milling machine or a printer. Around 38,000 dentists worldwide use the CEREC method and thus produce some 6.9 million restorations each year.

Click here to learn more about the AEGD Residency Program at Larkin Community Hospital.