CERASMART® 270 at the Heart of Dentist’s Efficient CAD/CAM Process

A seasoned dental lecturer and author, Karyn M. Halpern, DMD, MS, is well versed in the topics of dental implants, ceramic restorations, and CAD/
CAM dentistry. The owner of a multi-specialty, high-tech private practice in Port Jefferson Station, New York, Halpern has won numerous awards in dentistry, including Long Island's Top General Dentist by Long Island Pulse magazine. "My practice employs the very latest in CAD/CAM technology to provide high-quality patient care in a comfortable, safe environment," she states.

Halpern emphasizes how CAD/CAM tech-nology has "revolutionized" the way she practices dentistry. "It allows for the delivery of a much more comfortable patient experience and enables precise and predictable digital impression-taking. With CAD/CAM technology there are no messy PVS impressions, no second visits, and no more temporaries," she explains. "Patients are able to leave their appointment with permanent ceramic restorations that are of optimal quality and esthetics."

Halpern has been using CERASMART^® from GC America since its release in 2014. The force-absorbing nano-ceramic CAD/CAM block, according to the manufacturer, combines the characteristics of a high-strength ceramic and a composite. CERASMART features a flexible nano-ceramic matrix structure, excellent physical properties, and superb impact dispersion. The material is ideally suited for posterior, anterior, inlay, onlay, and implant restorations and enables minimum tooth reduction for minimally invasive restorations.

"I'd had only great experiences using GC materials in my practice, which made me interested in trying the CERASMART block once it was available, and I was not disappointed," she affirms. Now, she says, CERASMART^® 270, the newest offering from GC America, is currently her preferred block for inlays and onlays. CERASMART 270 is an esthetic hybrid block with what the company calls "full-coverage silane coating" with improved nanofiller technology.

"It's a stronger version of CERASMART. It mills quickly, polishes easily, has excellent marginal adaptation, and provides a true chameleon effect," Halpern says in describing CERASMART 270. It enables fast and effective milling, without chipping, she notes, so that a quality restoration with fine margins and optimal fit can be created in a single visit.

Halpern describes her efficient process of using CERASMART 270: "Once the tooth is prepared for the restoration of choice, a digital impression is taken of the preparation quadrant/arch, opposing quadrant/arch, and an image of the bite registration. I then use CEREC^® 5.1.2 software to marginate and design the final restoration. While the restoration is being designed, the dental assistant places the CERASMART 270 block into the milling unit, and the restoration is milled in only a few minutes. It is then fit-checked and bonded accordingly with resin cement."

The hybrid nano-ceramic, Halpern adds, blends seamlessly into the surrounding tooth structure, making the margins hard to discern. She also compliments the fit of the restorations and extols the fact that because CERASMART 270 is a hybrid resin block, it can be milled, cemented, and polished. "No oven-firing is needed, which cuts down on chairside appointment time significantly."

Halpern's patients, she says, are impressed with the practice's technology and the ability to deliver permanent indirect restorations in a single visit. They consistently report that their restoration feels natural immediately after placement. "Many times the patient cannot find which tooth we restored when shown in a mirror," she exclaims.

With a commitment to utilizing CAD/CAM technology to offer the highest quality of fast, efficient care to patients-with CERASMART 270 at the center of the process-Halpern's practice can expect continued recognition as a top dentist in her region.

GC America
800-323-7063
gcamerica.com