CEREC 3D
Imagine visiting the dentist and leaving your appointment with a custom restoration in place.
Willow Dental Group, Fresno · Last reviewed July 2026
Imagine visiting the dentist and leaving your appointment with a custom restoration in place. With CEREC 3D, short for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, this is exactly what can happen. This innovative dental procedure allows a dentist to economically restore damaged teeth in a single appointment with a high-quality, durable ceramic material that matches your natural tooth color. That means you receive your crown in just one visit! We can build a custom-fit, long lasting, natural colored crown the same day. No temporary crown, no second appointment, and no goopy-gaggy impression material with our digital scanner. CEREC 3D also enables dentists to save as much original tooth structure as possible and keep their patients gorgeous smiles in tact and/or enhanced.
The Science of CEREC
CEREC 3D uses CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing) technology, incorporating a camera, a computer, and milling machine in one instrument. First, your damaged tooth is prepared with a thin layer of reflective powder applied directly on the tooth’s surface. With a special camera, the dentist takes an optical impression of the damaged tooth, which is transferred to the computer and displayed on a color screen.
The CEREC Process
Your doctor will use CAD technology to design the restoration. Then, the CAM takes over and automatically creates the restoration. Using a high-speed diamond bur and a disk, the CAM mills the restoration out of a solid block of ceramic material. Once completed, the dentist will bond the new restoration to the surface of the old tooth. The whole process takes approximately one hour.
Why choose CEREC 3D at Willow Dental Group
Crown in one visit
Designed, milled and placed the same day — no weeks of waiting.
No temporaries
Skip the temporary crown and the second appointment.
Natural-looking ceramic
Durable, tooth-colored material matched to your smile.
Preserves your tooth
Digital precision conserves more of your natural tooth structure.
CEREC 3D FAQs
What is a CEREC crown?
CEREC is technology that lets us design, mill and place a ceramic crown in a single visit. Instead of taking impressions and waiting weeks for a lab, your restoration is created in our office the same day.
How long does a CEREC crown take?
Most CEREC crowns are completed in one appointment, typically a couple of hours, so you leave with your permanent crown in place and no temporary to manage.
Are same-day crowns as strong as lab crowns?
Yes. CEREC crowns are made from high-quality ceramic that is durable, natural-looking and comparable in strength and longevity to traditional lab-made crowns.
Do I still need a temporary crown?
No. Because the crown is milled and placed the same day, there is no need for a temporary crown or a second visit.
CEREC 3D in Fresno, CA
Willow Dental Group provides cerec 3d for patients across Fresno, Clovis and the Central Valley. Schedule your visit at our Fresno dental office — new patients are always welcome.