I often think back to when I first started using CEREC.
When it arrived at my clinic, it felt like Christmas morning.
“Here it is!” I thought, “the answer to all my problems”
"No more relying on labs!"
"No more sending work back because the impressions weren’t correct!"
"No more unhappy patients walking around in uncomfortable temporaries while they wait for their teeth!"
No more waiting.
Or so I thought.
I learned quite quickly that having the machine was one thing but actually knowing how to use it and achieve high-quality aesthetic outcomes was a whole different beast.
I wasn’t getting what I wanted out of the machine - at all.
I was producing these bland looking teeth that just looked unnatural.
There was no way I was going to give my patients inferior teeth to what they deserved, I knew I needed help. I went back to my lab technician and asked for their help.
However, now that I knew the standard of results that I wanted, I was finding that the lab technician was failing to get the results I needed as well.
It was a strange circumstance to be in.
I was teaching other dentists on a monthly basis about how to get the perfect tooth aesthetics and textures, all the while I was struggling to get the results I wanted in my own work!
So, I started teaching my lab technician about tooth aesthetics and textures as well.
Doing that enabled me to learn about the process the lab technician went through and they saw I wanted things done in a certain way.
We were able to help each other understand more about what each of us needed to create beautiful milled ceramics.
I really learned a lot from that whole process and now I’m proud to say I get pretty fantastic outcomes whenever I use CEREC.
I no longer just use it for posterior teeth and hope my work is passable.
I’ve done complex full mouth rehabilitation cases, front tooth cases and so much more.
I’ve also noticed that the satisfaction of my patients absolutely skyrocketed.
They’re not waiting around in temporaries for 2 weeks. They see the results in just 2 days and the hard work you put in is more appreciated because they can see the results much quicker.
They love the fact that I handcraft their teeth for them.
When I show them the technology I use to create their teeth, they look at me like I'm some sort of wizard!
Because the appointments can be quite long, we’ll often sit in front of the milling machine and just watch it together - it really drives home that we as dentists do so much more than simply create teeth.
It took a long time to realise but it’s not CEREC that improves your dentistry, it’s your understanding of shapes and the technical side of lab work that improves your CEREC.
If you rely on CEREC to improve your work, you won’t get great results. If you build your skills as a dentist and a technician then you will get the most out of your CEREC.
Believe me when I say I’ve done the hard work in learning how to get the outcomes I want.
Now, I want to pass on my learnings to other dentists so they can improve their outcomes with the machine and use it in a wider range of cases.
If you use CEREC and feel like you're not quite getting the outcomes you want, or you aren't using your in-office mill to its full potential, register here and you'll receive detailed information about free resources and courses that will massively help your dentistry.
