RESTORATIONS IN JUST ONE DAY – the Arrival of Digital Dentistry

January 23rd, 2013

At NYC Prosthodontics, Dr. Ferencz, Dr. Brecht and their team of skilled assistants and lab technicians are fabricating restorations in just one visit, completely redefining the patient experience. Crowns, inlays, and veneers are completed from start to finish in only a few hours without the discomfort of impressions, the hassle of temporaries, or the inconvenience of a second trip to the dentist’s office.

However, rest assured, quality is not compromised by convenience. The state of the art technology creates a restoration that fits even more precisely than its analog counterpart and is just as strong and durable. Esthetics too are equally as beautiful and natural looking since materials and creative principles are the same; only the fabrication process itself has been upgraded for the digital age.

Computer assisted design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) from D4D Technologies makes it all possible.  Using a digital scanner in the form of a small wand, intraoral scans of the treatment tooth and surrounding structures are captured. The computer converts the scans into digital images and designs a pattern for the restoration.  A lab technician examines and fine-tunes the design using software tools to make adjustments to internal fit, shape, thickness, and points of occlusion.

The completed design is communicated electronically to a mini-manufacturing plant right within the office. In just twenty minutes, a robotic milling device carves out the restoration from a solid block of ceramic according to the digital pattern.

The next step calls for an artist’s touch and is completed by the hand of the lab technician.  The final color is added, along with all the gradations and nuances that give the restoration the beauty of a natural tooth.  The restoration is then heated in a special furnace to achieve maximum crystallization of the ceramics. Then the Prosthodontist confirms the fit and cements the restoration.  Typically, the patient leaves the office with a finished restoration in just a single appointment