A dental miracle: Same day crowns!

In a previous post I reported on Cadent Itero's digital dental impressions -- no more biting down on a mouthful of gagging goo. Now thanks to the new CEREC 3 digital tooth reconstruction technology, you can also avoid those arduous, repeat visits to the dentist for tooth restorations.

I had the pleasure of e:mailing back and forth with David Birnbaum, co-founder of MobileTek Labs. The company has designed a CEREC 3 mobile van capable of cruising into a dentist's parking lot to make onsite, same day tooth restorations. Here's a start to finish description of this fantastic technology, which usually takes about two hours. Yes, you heard it right, a crown in just two hours.

After the dentist hands off the patient's dental impression to MobileTek Labs, the damaged tooth is scanned by CEREC 3 with an infrared camera. Computer software redesigns the tooth, scaled onscreen, to fit the available space in the patient's mouth. After the digital reconstruction, CEREC 3 utilizes a high-speed diamond bur and disk to carve a restored tooth right out of a solid block of ceramic material -- this is happening right in the parking lot as the patient kicks back watching one of those dental office plasma TVs! Dozens of ceramic blocks are inventoried in the mobile van for a spot on color match to a patient's tooth.

If your time is limited and you're scheduled for veneers, a crown(s) or another tooth restoration, check out the CEREC locator to find a dentist offering the technology near you. One of only three mobile vans in the country, MobileTek Labs currently operates in the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area (Dallas and Denver also have vans). Considering the investment for a CEREC 3 system and up-to-date training is quite pricey, a mobile van business model is an ideal fit for dentists not planning on purchasing their own CEREC 3. According to Birnbaum, response has been great thus far, they're already looking into a second van. Check out MobileTek Labs for more information, and don't miss this informative write-up on the company in the Riverdale Press. Picture of Marisa Birnbaum/MobileTek Labs.