Jeffrey Caso Many opponents of the CEREC technology and way of life say that they just do not want to get involved doing their own lab work. Now I could understand that if I actually had to sit down and stack porcelain from scratch. That is just not the case. Sure, you will have to spend a bit more time at the lab bench than before, especially if you get involved with larger cases, but there is not a ton of work involved.
Yesterday was a prime example for me. I sat town to prep 22-27 at 9:00 a.m. By 10:15 I was dismissing the patient. She was fully prepped, scanned, impressed for a contacts check model on the working arch only, and temped. The temps were the funnest part. I did a wax-up and made temps all at once with a putty matrix.
Between patients, I designed the six units and milled. I love to hear the MCXL humming along in the background. It was a group effort. Whoever walked past the mill as it was stopping put in a new block an milled the next crown. By 5:00 p.m., we were complete. The best part of the process was taking each unit from the mill and placing it on the model. Every one fit without adjustment.
So, in terms of lab work, I will remove the sprues and lightly contour each one. This will take 1-2 minutes max for each unit. Then light glaze and some oven time. The case will be ready to place in a total of two days. That’s not staying late or working through lunch, just a relaxing, stress-free experience that all of the staff feels proud to have helped with.
The key to having no adjustments is a great wax up, transferred to the mouth adjusted and polished. Scan it well, capturing perfect data right down to the gingiva. Know your machine and set up your contact colors just right. For the greatest accuracy, take the buccal bite images and the opposing in the mouth, not off of models. Mill and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Don’t forget the fast turnaround, total control, huge cost savings and personal satisfaction.
Big cases shouldn’t worry you. You can do them same day with the patient present or in a few days off of a model. Control the variable through knowing your equipment and ongoing education and soar through them.
