A More Pleasant Dental Impression Experience with the New CEREC® Omnicam

CERECbanner5The CEREC® system is one of the most reliable and beneficial technologies available at Fulbright Dental. For many patients, CEREC® makes it possible for us to create both temporary and permanent restorations such as dental crowns and porcelain veneers in a single office visit, eliminating the traditional waiting period and the second visit that was typically necessary for those treatments. Now, CEREC® has taken things one step further with the CEREC® Omnicam. This new addition to the CEREC® platform has a number of advantages for patients, particularly with regard to how our practice takes dental impressions.

The Omnicam allows me to take scanning images for a variety of treatments without having to apply powder on the patient’s teeth. It’s a cleaner, more accurate dental impression. We are also now able to scan full arches for orthodontics – we don’t need to take regular impressions anymore. This means that I can take a full scan of the arch and send it directly to Invisalign®, ClearCorrect, or other orthodontic manufacturers and they can fabricate the teeth aligners without the need for more traditional types of impressions. We can also use the digital imaging in lieu of impressions for oral appliances, including mandibular advancement devices for sleep apnea. Elimination of powders and gooey substances that make up the conventional impression process makes it easier for patients who have a tendency to gag and those who simply find traditional teeth impression techniques to be less than a pleasant experience. It’s a faster, more efficient, more accurate, and overall better process.

An additional benefit of the Omnicam is that it improves the dental implant procedure. The technology can work in tandem with our new GALILEOS® 3-D CT-Scan technology. When I scan the patient with the GALILEOS® first in the treatment planning stage, I can scan them with the new CEREC® Omnicam at the same time. This allows me to design the crown on the missing tooth area, which then makes it possible for me to have the ideal tooth already placed in the CEREC® data. That data can then be imported on top of the GALILEOS® scan, where they are virtually “stitched” together. Now, I have the proposed tooth created in CEREC® directly in the spot on the 3-D image displaying the missing tooth. During the implant planning phase, I can now virtually place the implant where the crown is proposed to go.

The bottom-line is: this new process allows for the most ideal placement of the implant, which can ultimately create results that look and feel so natural that you may not even be able to distinguish the replacement tooth from your original teeth. It also enables me to immediately create a temporary crown from the CEREC® machine on the same day that the implant is placed, making the process faster and more convenient for patients.

Dr. Michael Fulbright

If you have questions about the many advanced treatments and technologies at our practice, or if you would like to schedule an appointment, please contact Fulbright Cosmetic & Reconstructive Dentistry today.