When Marine Veteran James Evans arrived at the Birmingham VA Dental Clinic 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.

Pictured above, Dr. Casey Bloom, Birmingham VA dentist and CEREC CAD/CAM specialist, examines a digital impression for Evans.

With CEREC, restorations are created using computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing or CAD/CAM.

Crown placement – from two months to same day

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.

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.

“This is the future of dentistry”

“The big winners are our Veteran patients,” said Dr. Frederick Bisch, 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.

“Our dental clinic is excited to be a part of implementing this groundbreaking technology. It will enable our team to continue to deliver the best dental care to our Veterans and 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.”

VA 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.


James Branch is a public affairs specialist with the Birmingham VA Health Care System.

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4 Comments

  1. Joseph Johnson March 12, 2021 at 13:33

    Great for the veterans and l am one, Dental is only good if you’re at 100%

  2. William B March 11, 2021 at 19:55

    I had a crown done by cerec system 10 years ago, all in one visit. This is not new technology!!

  3. Olivia Isabella March 11, 2021 at 18:39

    My husband was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease at 57.his symptoms were shuffling of feet,slurred speech, low volume speech, degradation of hand writing, horrible driving skills, right arm held at 45 degree angle, things were tough for me, but now he finally free from the disease with the help of total cure ultimate health home, he now walks properly and all symptoms has reversed, he had trouble with balance especially at night, getting into the shower and exiting it is difficult,getting into bed is also another thing he finds impossible.we had to find a better solution for his condition which has really helped him a lot,

  4. Michael J Hargas March 11, 2021 at 10:27

    This is a great leap forward for dental patients. Huge time savings for the dentist also. Technology makes the process easier for everyone involved.
    On the down side another career field is eliminated. I have a childhood friend (paralyzed from the waist down) who was a dental tech. His dental lab closed many years ago, when all the dentists went offshore for crowns. With overnight delivery it didn’t matter where they sourced the crowns. Now they can do it in house with a better product.

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