Cerec Crowns & Your Safety

At ALFIE Dentistry, we have always taken universal precaution against the risk of infectious and communicable diseases - and in time of COVID-19, we have found ways to up our game - for example, by installing plexiglass barriers and making sure we have enough PPE to treat our patients and prevent cross-contamination. At the time of writing, we are staying updated on case number counts as well as staying up-to-date on the latest RCDSO recommendations (that is, the advice on safety measures as set-out by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario).

Since rising cases and reverting back to Stage 2 reopening in Ontario, we have had some callers ask if it is safe to come in for non-emergencies - they may have broken or chipped a tooth and while it's not giving them pain, it is distracting and sometimes uncomfortable trying to eat with it.

Yes - we are open and have resumed regular services with stringent safety precautions in place.

For dental restorations, we have adopted Cerec dental technologies for a while now. Here's how it is keeping you and your family safe:

1| Single-visit crowns means that you don't have to travel out more often than you need. This minimize your trips out into shared spaces, so it is minimizing your contact with potential viruses. For cases where more than one tooth is damaged, we have in the past also provided multiple crowns in a single visit (and this works especially well when the teeth in question are side-by-side or in the same quadrant of your mouth). This means you can get more dental treatment done in fewer trips. It wasn't so long ago that we did not have Cerec technology - and we still remember the days when a crown needed at least two trips - one appointment to prepare the tooth, take an impression and have a temporary placed and a second one to cement the final crown. More appointments would be needed if the temporary comes off and/or the final crown wouldn't fit correctly. And more appointments means more outings, which means greater risk of contracting illnesses.

2| Nowadays, because single-visit creek crowns are made at our office, we skip the middlemen laboratory. Not only does this ensure top quality, but it also reduces the number of people your crown comes in contact with. We don't need to worry about third-party labs and their employee COVID cases - nor would we have to worry about how carefully they are sticking to cleaning, sterilization and disinfecting protocols because we do not need to use them.

3| This also means that we don't need to worry about the safe transportation of a lab-made crown to our dental offices - because we're making them in-house.

4| Cerec Crowns are also fabricated through a digital process.

Studies have shown that the old-school method of taking traditional molds (of putting soft material into the patient's mouth, and having them bite down to create an impression) can be a source of cross-contamination between the patient and people who work on that case. When you bite down on physical material, blood and saliva are captured too and they could contain infectious microorganisms, which could cross-contaminate the cast. Read more about that here.

With Cerec dentistry, we use intra-oral scanning technology. Our team carefully captures the information we need using a wand with a removal and disposable head - which is new for each Cerec patient appointment. The rest of the scanner is carefully disinfected so it's significantly safer for every person taking care of the patient.

5| Every step of our workflow is done to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. And that includes things like asking you to stay in your car upon arrival - until we are ready to take you into the treatment room. Since we are providing more space for visitors to safely distance themselves from everyone else, please remain patient until we call you in.

6| Your treatment room is (and has always been!) cleaned and disinfected before and after your visit. We physically remove tools that were in your room (and potentially exposed to aerosols) to be taken to the sterilization centres between each and every patient. We use disinfectant wipes for all surfaces of the operatories. We double-up the protection by using air purifiers throughout our offices. And we add in another layer of protection with UV-C light disinfection.

And additional questions or concerns about COVID-19 precautions and/or your safety? Call our office at (416) 226-6688 or contact us via email. We are at your service.