CEREC expands beyond restorations into orthodontics and implantology

At IDS 2015 in Germany this month, Sirona Dental Systems has again expanded its CEREC platform to give clinicians even greater versatility and more treatment options. The several new hardware, software, materials and treatment indications for the system come ahead of dentistry's most enduring high tech product's 30th anniversary.

With decades of proven performance, the CEREC system now provides dentists with a fully digital workflow for restorative dentistry, implantology and orthodontics.

Digital workflows not only deliver greater accuracy, efficiency and more predictable patient outcomes, they equally ensure higher patient satisfaction since, for many indications, patients can leave the practice with the treatment completed after just one visit.

At the IDS, even after 30 years of continual development, Sirona presented several new groundbreaking CEREC innovations which once again expanded the treatment range and options of the versatile platform.

New CEREC AF and AI for the tabletop and dental unit

New CEREC AF delivers a tabletop version of the powder-free CEREC Omnicam colour camera for digital impressions. CEREC AF features a very small camera head which also allows for easy scanning in the distal area. CEREC AF consists of a transportable CEREC Omnicam with a tray, desktop PC, monitor, tablet, keyboard and cordless mouse. A tablet can also be used as a second monitor via Sirona Remote streaming software. The system is suitable for practices with limited space as well as joint practices that occupy more than one level, allowing easy transport of the Omnicam camera. In addition, new CEREC AI offers seamless integration within your Sirona treatment centre.

New Biojaw application creates a natural look

In order for restorations to look as natural as your own teeth, it is not only the colour, it's also a question of anatomy and morphology. With this in mind, a new CEREC application, Biojaw, uses the entire area scanned in the mouth to formulate the first restoration proposition individualised to the patient. This means that the system records all existing teeth in the upper and lower jaw in order to develop a proposal that is individually optimised for the total jaw that fits the existing teeth of the patient. It is also characterised by a natural anatomy below the equatorial plane.

"It makes the restoration as a whole seem natural," said Roddy MacLeod, Vice President Dental CAD/CAM Systems at Sirona. "The very first proposal Biojaw presents to the clinican for consideration is so good that it hardly needs reworking". The software uses improved algorithms which provide for the processing of feldspar, glass and silicate ceramics for smoother surfaces and very detailed preparation margins. New, extra-fine grinding tools for the four-motor CEREC MC XL Premium Package can be used to grind out deeper fissures and smoother surfaces.

With the total scanned area as a reference, the Biojaw advantage over the standard solution of using dental libraries and databases is even more apparent. The initial proposal is based on biostatistical rules of all scanned teeth and thus offers an individual custom-made solution.

Crowns, veneers and fully anatomical bridges can be customised immediately to produce inlays and onlays. The time required for manual adjustment is minimal, so the efficiency is increased. The software is easy to use and fits perfectly into the known CEREC workflow.

Implant restorations in just one visit

If a patient needs an implant, CEREC can help the dentist during both the planning and insertion stages. With the latest new developments in implantology, CEREC now makes it possible to place implants in just one visit with provision of both a surgical drill guide and a temporary prosthesis in one appointment. This has many advantages: The patient does not need a conventional impression taken with an uncomfortable impression tray and, if the proper requirements are met, he or she can be treated immediately - a positive treatment experience for all concerned. For the dentist, this means the highest quality along with a shortened workflow, full clinical safety and complete added value in the practice.

The digital workflow starts with a digital impression using CEREC Omnicam, the smallest propellant-free, working color video camera on the market. Next comes the design of the restoration with the new CEREC SW 4.4, which integrates the application of Biojaw to present outstanding initial proposals on the basis of the entire area scanned. Finally, the production of the planned restoration with any of the three different CEREC grinding machines completes the system.

New CEREC Guide 2

CEREC Guide 2, a custom surgical drilling template for guided surgery produced on a CEREC milling machine is another new development within the CEREC software.

CEREC Guide 2 complements the standard workflow of implant planning. Soft tissue information and the planned prosthetic are presented digitally by CEREC. This is combined with a 3D X-ray image from Sirona DVT devices in a single data record. The implant is then followed in GALILEOS Implant, the implant planning software for Sirona DVT. The result of this planning is now sent back to CEREC. The design of the CEREC Guide 2 template can be adapted to the individual needs and then milled on a CEREC or inLab milling unit from the CEREC Guide Bloc from PMMA. In this way, virtual planning becomes reality. The creation of a model or a radiographic template with reference bodies is unnecessary.

CEREC Guide 2 enables the dentist to make single site surgical guides simply, very inexpensively and in under one hour. Thus, CEREC is the fastest and most cost-effective way to manufacture a surgical drilling template.

More materials for implant prosthetics

Together with its partners, Sirona will be offering an even greater variety of materials for the restoration of implants (inCoris ZI meso from Sirona, IPS e.max CAD and Telio CAD from Ivoclar Vivadent as well as CAD-Temp IS and ENAMIC IS from VITA Zahnfabrik). In combination with Sirona TiBase, not only can traditional abutments be produced but also individual temporary prostheses, which additionally act as healing abutments.

CEREC Ortho for Invisalign, ClearCorrect, Dolphin and Sirona Connect

Sirona's new groundbreaking CEREC Ortho software allows dentists to create a digital model of the entire mandibular arch in one reliable, guided scan using CEREC Omnicam. With a direct connection to transmit the scan to Invis­align, Clear Correct, Dolphin or through Sirona Connect to ortho labs, for example Truline, or similar STL file accepting labs with inLab Software, who are digitally producing clear orthodontic aligners and other orthodontic appli­ances.

The procedure is simple and quick to carry out. Acoustic signals, images, and brief explanations assist users with the camera work. Since the scan results are so highly reproducible, the process can even be easily delegated. The impression created in this way can then be sent for planning orthodontic treatments and producing the required appliances.

It is supported by CEREC and makes the creation of impressions considerably simpler which results in significant time savings, so treatment can begin sooner. The laborious process of creating, sending and storing silicone impressions and plaster models can be avoided, and patients do not have to wait so long for their orthodontic appliances. If a physical model is needed for certain indications, it can easily be produced with a 3D printer.

"With the CEREC Ortho software, we are developing a completely new treatment field for our customers", said Roddy MacLeod, Vice President Dental CAD/CAM Systems at Sirona. "It is also very beneficial for practices from a financial point of view."

The new software for orthodontics is one more product of Sirona's extensive experience in the field of digitalizing treatment workflows. In this way, the company demonstrates its reliability as a partner for dentists - and now for orthodontists too.