BVAHCS Dental Clinic implements CEREC technology
Dr. Casey Bloom, Birmingham VA Health Care System dentist and CEREC CAD/CAM specialist, reviews a digital impression for James Evans, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran. (Photo by James Branch)
The Department of Veterans Affairs reached a milestone in 2021, marking the 100th anniversary of VA dental services. In 1921, Dr. Lloyd Beers of the Veterans Bureau was appointed the first National VA Chief of Dental Services. The Birmingham VA Health Care System continues this tradition of innovation, by implementing dental technology to provide safe and expedient oral care to our nation’s heroes.
When James Evans, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, arrived at the Birmingham VA Health Care System (BVAHCS) Dental Clinic Feb. 3, 2021 to have a crown installed, he expected the process to take weeks. To his surprise, the crown's design, fitting and delivery were done the same day.
The dental clinic has implemented same-day crown technology using the Sirona/Dentsply’s Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic (CEREC) process. The system is equipped with CEREC software, a Primescan scanner for taking digital impressions, and a Primemill grinding and milling unit.
With CEREC, restorations are created using computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing, or CAD/CAM.
In the past, crown placements required a minimum of two visits. The first appointment consisted of the Veteran’s tooth being prepared, a conventional tray impression being taken, and a temporary crown being fabricated and temporarily cemented. The second appointment would be scheduled for the permanent crown placement. Typically, that interval could be up to two months.
“Today’s visit has been amazing,” said Evans. “Instead of the process taking six to eight weeks like I was expecting, I’m leaving the dental clinic today with a new crown, and no discomfort.”
The CEREC Primescan and Primemill system is equipped with a smart pixel sensor that processes more than 1 million 3D points per second from a wand scanner. This creates a color realistic scan of the prepped tooth and adjacent teeth.
A computer is then used to design an accurate crown that is sent to the milling machine. The crown is milled from a high strength block of ceramic materials. The final product is a strong and natural looking crown. By utilizing the CAD/CAM process, the crown requires very little adjustments after it is placed.
“The big winners are our Veteran patients,” said Dr. Frederick Bisch, BVAHCS Chief of Dental Services. “They can have natural looking, high-quality crowns started and completed in one day eliminating the need to return and have the crown cemented. This will greatly increase access to dental care by eliminating that second appointment.”
According to Dr. Bisch, BVAHCS is the first dental clinic in its VA Southeast Network, Veterans Integrated Service Network 7, to implement CEREC technology using the Primescan scanner.
“Our dental clinic is excited to be a part of implementing this groundbreaking technology, said Dr. Bisch. "It will enable our team to continue to deliver the best dental care to our Veterans, much quicker than in the past. This monumental leap forward is the future of dentistry. It will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the delivery of dental care to our Veterans.”
