Not so long ago, the previous generation of dentists had very few materials to work with. Think about it the next time you look in the mouth of an older patient. We call these patients dental museums. We see a great deal of amalgam, cast gold, gold foil and silicate cement. Sometimes we can even see the evolution of esthetic full-coverage restorations. From gold with acrylic facings to three-quarter crowns leaving facial enamel to porcelain fused to metal with large facial collars to Captek to Procera to CEREC and so many more in between. It's really quite interesting.

Having so few materials to work with, dentists really became proficient working with say, amalgam, for example. Some of the amalgam fillings are really a work of art save for the color. The power of mechanical retention amazes me when removing these. Then, look at the bases we see underneath. I have used a lot of Zinc Phosphate cement in my day; not the easiest material to work with and highly acidic at that, but it did a great job as an insulator under these massive amalgams.

Dentistry was a hard job then and is still a hard job. I think it's the changes that we need to make in our heads that may be the most difficult thing. We throw our heart and soul into the next greatest thing. Go to classes, learn everything, train ourselves and then our staff, educate our patients and then integrate it into our practices, sometimes to be disappointed in a short time. CEREC is not one of those flash-in-the-pan type things. That we don't have to worry about.

We do, however, need to keep up with the changes. It can be mind boggling. Think about just the last year. A move toward implant abutments, In Lab software, permanent bridges, GALILEOS integration, new materials. Will I need a sintering oven or will e.max save me from that expense? Holy smokes, it can make your head spin! That's enough of my Andy Rooney rant. Let's figure out how to stay ahead of the curve.

I see two types of CERECers. Those that have the Red Cam and love it - it does just enough, works well, and why rock the boat? Then, there are those that need to get everything right away, get training and start doing it. That's what makes the times we are living in so great. Do what you want; do what fits with your practice style. We all choose our path and feel comfortable with our decisions. There is no right or wrong!

The comfort to me is belonging to a group like CERECDOCTORS.COM, so that when these advancements occur we can all learn and grow together. We figure out what we are supposed to be doing and what works in real life. Then we graciously share our newfound knowledge with each other in an environment that facilitates learning. Thank you all for this opportunity. I truly am so grateful to be able to learn new things every single day. Life certainly is not boring.