Amazing dental technology.

B

Blades_Two

Joined
Dec 31, 2004
Messages
204
I went to get a broken crown replaced this morning. I was introduced to the Dentist's newest thing called Cerec. This is a CAD/CAM system that actually mills out a crown in a desktop CNC milling machine. What it means is I sat in the chair and an hour later I had a new permanent crown. No temporary crown, no dental lab, no return visit to install the permanent one. They let me watch as the milling machine made the crown. It took about 15 minutes. Very cool. Amazing technology. I just though I'd share it.

The crowns are milled from porcelain but he said, in the future, they will be using human enamel. Apparently, they are growing it in petri dishes at University of Michigan. A very entertaining day at the dentist.
 
There was a news story recently that said advances in dental technology would soon make dentures obsolete. Real (grown in a dish) teeth can now be joined to the jaw bone and the patient can eat as soon as they can get to the nearest food joint. Somebody has already had a mouthful done successfully :cool:
 
where was this like a month ago when I had to have a crown... oh wait I remember now I live in a rural area and the postman must do double duty as the dentist (actually have to drive a couple towns over to find a dentist) :D
 
I've had a few cerec inlays done, and it was a less than 2 hour process from anesthetic to rinse and spit. Pretty amazing stuff. The oldest piece, which is almost five years old, is holding up well according to my proud dentist.

Next on his list of wonder toys is a laser drill. It's limited to certain types of cavities, small ones, but it's a huge step forward.


He's also been using some sort of digitial camera type device to do x-rays; the upside is it takes far less radiation and the pics are transmitable digitally.

If you're of a certain age you might remember the days when most people didn't have dental insurance, no matter who you worked for. My older dentist still tells me the best thing in his professional life was not the wider spread of dental insurance plans, but the modem, which allowed him to get paperwork done faster and get paid sooner with less hassle ;)
 
Matches said:
There was a news story recently that said advances in dental technology would soon make dentures obsolete. Real (grown in a dish) teeth can now be joined to the jaw bone and the patient can eat as soon as they can get to the nearest food joint. Somebody has already had a mouthful done successfully :cool:
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Sure good news but I'm too dang-nab old to wait.At one point in life I had to curtail my dentist's visits because I was living at the poverty level awaiting a deserved VA disability claim.Nineteen & one-half years later it was approved but neglect had done it's work. I have mostly partials & NOW VA provides total health care including dentistry. Half the clinic dentists were reservists & are where the need is greatest.
For you young'uns,it's a blessing & soon competition will make dentistry faster,cheaper & more pleasant.


God Bless American know-how.

Uncle [ born too soon ] Alan :rolleyes:
 
How much does this thing cost? I doubt we'll be seeing them anytime soon except at the most premier (ie successful/richest) dentists.
 
sygyzy said:
How much does this thing cost? I doubt we'll be seeing them anytime soon except at the most premier (ie successful/richest) dentists.
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I don't know about that. I am sure having to ship out the crown to a lab to be made costs a decent amount of money. If a dentist has his own CNC crown machine he can make the crown himself, and charge the same amount as the guy down the street still using a lab. He has just increased his profit for doing a crown, and made you happier by getting it all done in one visit.
 
sygyzy said:
How much does this thing cost? I doubt we'll be seeing them anytime soon except at the most premier (ie successful/richest) dentists.
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I don't know. But, according to their website, the nearest one to me in in McMinnville which -- while a fine community -- is not exactly the toniest place in the Portland area.
 
sygyzy said:
How much does this thing cost? I doubt we'll be seeing them anytime soon except at the most premier (ie successful/richest) dentists.
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The dentist said it cost three times what his first house cost. I don't know how much his first house cost but three times that must get to 6 figures. My dentist is actually just a two man practice. He does a lot of crown and bridge work. He says it will pay for itself in a few years and give him the competitive advantage of single visit work. So he's a bit of a businessman as well as a professional. I know it appeals to me. I'd always rather make a single visit to the dentist than two or more. I chose him because of his reputation. The machine is just an extra benefit as far as I'm concerned. It sure works well.
 
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