CAD/CAM
& 3D Printing.
Scan. Design.
Mill. Bond.
Same day.
A permanent zirconia crown — designed by Dr. Haris, milled in-clinic, bonded permanently — in a single 90-minute appointment. No laboratory. No temporary crown. No second visit. CEREC CAD/CAM eliminates every step in the conventional crown workflow that requires a laboratory, a courier, a wait, or a re-appointment. The same digital workflow powers 3D-printed surgical guides that place implants to within ±0.1mm of the planned position.
From prepared tooth
to bonded crown —
in one appointment.
Traditional crown fabrication requires two appointments separated by 2–3 weeks: the first to prepare the tooth and take a physical impression, the second to fit and cement the laboratory-fabricated crown. Between appointments, the patient wears a temporary crown — a provisional restoration that is less aesthetically refined, requires dietary restriction, and carries a risk of coming loose or fracturing. CEREC eliminates every step that requires laboratory involvement.
The CEREC system integrates three components: the intraoral scanner (which replaces the physical impression), the CEREC design software (in which Dr. Haris designs the crown on-screen in three dimensions, refining the AI-proposed anatomy to match the patient's tooth morphology, contacts, and bite), and the Primemill milling unit (which cuts the designed crown from a pre-shaded ceramic or zirconia block at chairside in 15–20 minutes). The result is a permanent, clinically validated restoration — produced without a laboratory, without a temporary, and without a second appointment.
The 3D scan model loads into CEREC software. AI biogeneric algorithms propose initial crown anatomy based on surrounding tooth morphology. Dr. Haris refines the crown shape, contact points, occlusal surface, and marginal fit on-screen — with real-time visualisation of how the crown sits against adjacent and opposing teeth before a single cut is made.
The approved digital design is sent to the Primemill unit — a chairside CNC milling machine that cuts the crown from a pre-shaded zirconia or ceramic block using diamond-coated burs. Milling takes 15–20 minutes. The crown emerges pre-shaded to the selected tooth colour, requiring minimal surface staining for characterisation in aesthetic cases.
Monolithic zirconia milled by CEREC has the same material category (yttria-stabilised tetragonal zirconia polycrystal) and comparable mechanical properties (900–1,200 MPa flexural strength) as laboratory zirconia. The "chairside" label does not indicate an inferior material — it indicates the fabrication location.
CEREC's biogeneric AI analyses the surrounding tooth morphology — cusp positions, marginal ridges, groove patterns — to propose an initial crown design that mimics the natural anatomy of that tooth position. Dr. Haris uses this as a starting point for refinement, reducing design time while ensuring the final crown is individually tailored.
The complete CEREC crown
workflow — one appointment.
From the moment you sit in the chair to the moment you leave with a permanently bonded crown — everything that happens in 90–120 minutes.
At the consultation appointment, Dr. Haris assesses the tooth requiring the crown — reviewing the X-ray, checking the root and bone status, and confirming that a crown is the appropriate restoration. For root-treated teeth, pulp vitality is confirmed as absent. The CEREC option, laboratory option, and clinical rationale for each are explained — the patient's preference and the clinical requirements both inform the material and workflow choice.
Local anaesthesia is administered and confirmed effective before any preparation begins. Any existing decay, defective filling material, or compromised tooth structure is removed. The tooth is shaped to receive the crown — with the preparation depth, taper, and margin position guided by the CEREC digital design protocol. A pre-preparation scan is sometimes taken first, allowing the CEREC software to reference the original tooth anatomy when proposing the crown design — this is the "biocopy" approach that helps replicate the patient's natural tooth shape.
The prepared tooth is isolated, dried, and scanned with the intraoral scanner. The scan captures the prepared tooth, the adjacent teeth on both sides, the opposing arch, and the bite relationship — all the information CEREC needs to design a crown that fits precisely, contacts the adjacent teeth correctly, and occludes accurately with the opposing teeth. The model is available on screen within seconds of scan completion. Any incomplete area is rescanned immediately.
The 3D scan model loads into CEREC software. The biogeneric AI proposes an initial crown design based on the surrounding tooth morphology. Dr. Haris refines this proposal in 3D: adjusting the occlusal (biting) surface anatomy, fine-tuning the proximal contact points with adjacent teeth, confirming the marginal fit around the entire preparation margin, and selecting the appropriate material block shade. The crown design is finalised on-screen before milling begins — no changes are possible after the mill starts, so this step is performed carefully.
The approved design is sent to the Primemill unit. The patient can relax, check their phone, or have a drink of water while the mill runs — the milling takes 15–20 minutes depending on the crown size and complexity. The Primemill uses diamond-coated burs to cut the crown from a pre-shaded zirconia block, following the digital design with sub-millimetre precision. The emerging crown is already the correct shade — no laboratory staining is required for most cases, though surface characterisation can be added for demanding aesthetic cases.
The milled crown is placed on the prepared tooth without cement. Dr. Haris checks: marginal fit (the crown margin sits flush against the tooth at all points), proximal contacts (the crown contacts adjacent teeth with the correct pressure — verified with floss), occlusion (the bite is balanced with the opposing teeth — checked with articulation paper), and aesthetics (the shade, surface texture, and form match the adjacent teeth). Any adjustments are made by hand-polishing or surface characterisation before cementation. If any aspect requires modification that cannot be achieved chairside, the crown can be adjusted digitally and remilled.
The prepared tooth surface and the internal crown surface are conditioned and primed. Resin cement is applied and the crown is seated permanently. Excess cement is removed and the bite is checked once more. The patient leaves the appointment with a permanent zirconia crown — no temporaries, no dietary restrictions pending lab work, no second appointment. Full bite load can typically be applied within 24–48 hours as the cement completes its final cure.
What dental 3D printing
produces at Hassaan Dental.
3D printing in dentistry produces physical objects directly from digital files — replacing manual laboratory fabrication steps that introduce variability and delay. Here are the four applications at Hassaan Dental.
The most clinically significant 3D-printed dental object. Combining CBCT bone data and intraoral scan arch data, the planned implant position is designed digitally and a custom guide is printed — a stent-like device that fits precisely over the teeth and restricts the drill to the planned angulation, depth, and diameter. The implant is placed within ±0.1mm of the planned position.
For veneer preparation cases and complex multi-unit restorations where the final ceramics require laboratory fabrication, 3D-printed provisionals from the DSD design are placed immediately after tooth preparation — so the patient leaves with the planned aesthetic result visible on the same day as preparation, without waiting for laboratory work. Provisionals protect prepared teeth, maintain the bite, and allow aesthetic preview before final cementation.
Printed from intraoral scan data, study models provide physical three-dimensional representations of the dental arches for treatment planning, patient communication, and reference during complex rehabilitation cases. Unlike plaster models — which chip, break, and degrade over time — digital models can be reprinted from the archived scan file at any point, years after the original scan.
Post-orthodontic retainers can be fabricated directly from an intraoral scan of the finished dentition — without conventional impression-taking. For patients with gag reflex who completed orthodontic treatment, this eliminates the retainer impression that they often find difficult. The digital scan also archives the final tooth positions permanently, allowing a replacement retainer to be printed from the original file years later if the original is lost.
The Digital Smile Design protocol produces a planned tooth shape design that can be materialised as a 3D-printed diagnostic wax-up, then converted to a silicone key — used to place composite directly on unprepared teeth so the patient can physically experience the planned result before committing to veneer preparation. The printed mock-up is derived from the same digital file as the final veneer design, ensuring exact correspondence between preview and outcome.
Current ceramic 3D printing produces zirconia green bodies (unfired ceramic) that require sintering to achieve final mechanical properties. Dr. Haris's research interest in ceramic 3D printing and digital workflow focuses on the emerging capability to print final ceramic restorations directly — a technology that, when mature, will allow printing of complex anatomical ceramic structures with material gradients not achievable by subtractive milling. Hassaan Dental monitors this technology's clinical readiness actively.
Dr. Haris Mehmood holds active research interests in ceramic 3D printing and digital workflow integration — areas he has worked on through his MSPH research and clinical observations at FDI SIDC Riyadh 2025. Current ceramic 3D printing faces the challenge of producing green-body zirconia that sinters with predictable dimensional accuracy. The clinical potential of direct ceramic 3D printing — fabricating restorations with compositional gradients (different mechanical properties at the core vs the surface), complex undercuts not achievable by milling, and patient-specific implant components — is significant. Hassaan Dental is positioned to integrate clinical ceramic 3D printing into its fabrication workflow as the technology achieves routine clinical validation.
Three materials.
Three clinical applications.
CEREC can mill from different ceramic and composite material blocks. The material selection depends on the clinical requirement — strength, aesthetics, or provisional use. Dr. Haris selects the appropriate material at the design stage.
The primary material for CEREC crowns at Hassaan Dental. Highest strength of any ceramic — suitable for posterior molars, bruxers, implant crowns, and any high-load application. Pre-shaded in the tooth colour gradient before milling. Monolithic (one material throughout — no layered porcelain that can chip).
Lower strength than zirconia but significantly higher optical translucency — light passes through the material in a way that closely mimics natural tooth enamel. The preferred material for CEREC anterior crowns and veneers where maximum aesthetic naturalness is the priority and bite forces are within normal range. Acid-etchable for strong adhesive bonding.
Polymer composite blocks milled to produce high-quality provisional (temporary) crowns and veneers that are significantly more accurate and better-fitting than hand-made temporaries. PMMA provisionals are used when a staged treatment plan requires the permanent restoration to be deferred — for example, while a graft heals, or while an implant integrates. Not for permanent use — replaced by ceramic at the definitive restoration stage.
CEREC performance in
clinical numbers.
35+ years of CEREC clinical data from multiple long-term studies. These are published peer-reviewed figures, not manufacturer claims.
CEREC's same-day capability is most valuable in specific clinical situations: Root-treated posterior teeth — teeth that have had root canal treatment require a crown to prevent fracture; CEREC crowns these in the same appointment as the final root canal visit in selected cases. Broken or cracked teeth — a tooth that has fractured and needs immediate permanent coverage is better served by a definitive crown the same day than a temporary with its associated risks. Implant crowns — after implant integration, a CEREC zirconia crown on the implant abutment can often be fabricated at the same appointment as the impression, minimising total visits. Patients with demanding schedules — a single 90-minute appointment rather than two appointments across 3 weeks.
CEREC vs every
crown option.
A complete comparison across clinical outcome, patient experience, time, material, and cost — including the honest limitations of each option.
| Dimension | ★ CEREC Same-Day | Lab Crown (Zirconia) | Lab Crown (Layered Porcelain) |
|---|---|---|---|
| // CLINICAL_OUTCOME | |||
| 10-year survival rate | >93% | >93% | ~90–95% |
| Material strength | 900–1,200 MPa (zirconia) | 900–1,200 MPa | 60–90 MPa porcelain layer |
| Translucency / aesthetics | Very good (monolithic) | Very good | Best — layered depth |
| Best for anterior aesthetics | e.max version · or lab preferred | Good but not highest | Yes — premium anterior choice |
| // PATIENT_EXPERIENCE | |||
| Number of appointments | 1 appointment | 2 appointments | 2 appointments |
| Temporary crown needed | No | Yes — 2–3 week wait | Yes — 2–3 week wait |
| Total chair time | 90–120 min · once | 60 min prep + 30 min fit | 60 min prep + 30 min fit |
| Physical impression / gag risk | None — digital scan only | Physical impression required | Physical impression required |
| // WORKFLOW_AND_COST | |||
| Price at Hassaan Dental | PKR 20,000 / unit | PKR 20,000 / unit | PKR 10,000 / unit (porcelain) |
| Laboratory involved | No — in-clinic fabrication | Yes — courier + wait | Yes — courier + ceramist + wait |
| Clinician designs crown | Yes — Dr. Haris on-screen | Lab technician from prescription | Ceramist from prescription |
| Biogeneric AI design | Yes — CEREC AI proposes anatomy | No | No |
CEREC & 3D printing
questions answered.
Including the most common question: "Is a CEREC crown really as good as a laboratory crown?"
Scan. Design.
Mill. Bond.
Permanent crown.
One appointment.
PKR 20,000 per unit. Same price as a laboratory crown. PKR 1,000 consultation including OPG X-ray, clinical assessment, and honest recommendation — CEREC or laboratory — for your specific tooth.
Price disclaimer: Unit prices remain the same; final treatment cost may vary after clinical examination. If the tooth requires a post-and-core, build-up, or other preparatory treatment before crowning, this is assessed and quoted at the consultation before any treatment begins.
