Going to the dentist is never any fun, but there’s a new procedure that can drastically reduce the need for drilling cavities.
A new computer imaging system called the Serac creates images that make the tooth’s surface look like a bomb site, and that’s because the technology comes from the military.
Now, Serac can reduce the amount of time you spend in the dentist’s chair, and even cut back on the amount of drilling needed to treat cavities.
“You’re talking about cad-cam, a computer-automated design,” Dr. Martha Cortes says.
With technology adapted from the Air Force, it enables the dentist to precisely measure the depths and dimensions of cavities and precisely mold fillings to treat problem areas.
“We’re going to actually give it the limits so that it can actually now start producing the 3-D product,” Dr. Cortes says.
What the machine is doing is fabricating a customized ceramic filling to replace old metal fillings.
Jacqueline Muniz just had her 35-year-old metal fillings replaced by using Serac.
“These started getting a little bit rough on the inside,” Muniz says. “The texture changed. It used to be smooth.”
Dr. Cortes says the metal fillings get worn down and eventually become hazardous to the tooth.
“They’re all metals. They have what they call metal fatigue; the metal itself contracts and expands with the tooth,” Dr. Cortes says.
The system uses its data of other teeth and other dimensions to reproduce its own interpretation of what it should be, including the height and grooves for the anatomy. Essentially, it preps only what is necessary and leaves more of the tooth in tact, ready to be fitted with a customized piece.
“It’s a jigsaw puzzle,” Dr. Cortes says. “We didn’t have to take any further tooth structure the preparation is conservative and you’re leaving as much of the outside enamel.”
Muniz describes the procedure as unlike anything she’s experienced sitting in the dentist’s chair.
“This is completely different,” Muniz says. “This is nothing like what I experienced as a child.”
The initial cost using the Serac is slightly higher than conventional fillings, but these last about 20 to 25 years, about 10 years longer.
(Source: WCBSTV)
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One Response
I have seen quite a few of these restorations (Also it is misspelled, it should be CEREC) and they do not last more that 3-4, then they crack. I do not reccomend them. The 35 year amalgam with “metal fatigue” is the bast value.