Cerec and Reliability?

There is no disadvantage of having Cerec crowns versus traditional Porcelain fused to metal crowns on back teeth.  If the crown has a good fit and is maintained with good hygiene it should last a long time.

There really are no disadvantages to a crown produced using CEREC.  The process is more efficient and the precision is at least equal if not better than traditional methods.  Patients respond better to digital impressions than having a mouthful of GOOP.  Having the crown delivered in one visit saves both the dentist chair time and the patient time away from work or family, expense and delays to obtain anesthesia.

There are many modern dental labs which will actually use the CEREC system to make a crown using a stone model made from the dental impression.  Some labs are even able to have the digital impression from the CEREC acquisition unit in the doctor's office transmitted to a fabrication unit at the lab. 

The CEREC allows dentists to use modern ceramics, i.e. eMax, which has been shown to be stronger and more durable than traditional porcelain fused to metal crowns.  The CAD/CAM designs produce a far more precise product than the hand crafted crowns made by the lab technician.

I believe that most dental offices will be using a CEREC type system for crowns in the future as this technology becomes a standard of care.

CEREC crowns can have several advantages.  1. The process can be done in one visit, which means less anesthetic.  2. Newer materials like EMax. are extremely durable and long lasting.  3. The aesthetics can rival lab fabricated results.  So the answer to your question is, there are really no draw backs to a CEREC crown on the back teeth.

Cerec restorations are extremely reliable.  The new and improved Emax restorations are very estheticand very strong. The Cerec is providing a very precise restoration and combined with the porecelain durability and esthetics, i is dfficult say a laboratory can do better!  Also, you will get a restoration whether a crown or a partial crown (onlay) completed in the same visit. It is awesome tchnology and awesome dentistry!

Cerec can be very Aesthetic any place in the mouth. it's a matter of experience and the quality of work done. I have been staining and gazing restorations since 2004 and have learned staining and gazing from a master ceramist which allows me to give my patients a great result in a one visit time requirement.

We use E-max ( a type of Dental material know as lithium disilicate) which is stronger than most any other material out in the market right now in the back teeth. when stained and glazed it can rival anything done by a lab technician.

I hope that helps with your question. Take care.

The main advantage of a cerec is time savings. These cad/cam machines require 1 longer visit to provide a crown than 2 shorter appointments to do the "traditional ceramist" type crown. From a strength standpoint, if the dentist is using Emax material the strength is very strong. However you need to consider a few things. 

1. crowns made by a good ceramist are the most esthetic (very few dentists spend the time to correctly stain and glaze the porcelain, my opinion of course!)

2.. Is the time savings for 1 cement appointment worth the sacrifice for a less esthetic restoration (you will have hopefully for 10-15 yrs!!!)

3. Be aware of a dentist that prepares the tooth and leaves the room to have an assistant design and mill the restoration!

4. The marginal fit of the cerec crowns is very accurate due to the high accuracy of the scanning machines so marginal integrity is great if designed properly.

Generally cerec is less esthetic than other all ceramic crowns, but more esthetic than porcelain fused to metal ones.

The fitting process is more likely a bit longer with cerec but everything is done at one appointment (a long one) as opposed to 2  shorter appointments for traditional crowns (all ceramic or porcelain fused to metal)

Cerec may be as reliable in the long run as other crowns, but it would be up to the dentists skill, experience and attention to detail.

Hope that helps.

Dr. Alper