I'm sure many of my counterparts are yelling at the screen right now. They are screaming, 'If you do it in two visits, why get a CEREC?'

I understand this rationale. When I speak to dentists on the fence about the technology, like I once was, I tell them about one-visit dentistry and ROI and patient appreciation for no second visit. Well then, what the heck am I talking about, right?

It is easy for me to talk about doing CERECs in one visit. My office is geared for it. I've been doing it for almost eight years. I can't think of any other way.

Now that being said, the same does not necessarily apply for a new user trying to incorporate this into their practice. Do I think one-visit dentistry is better? For me, absolutely! Does that mean that I think new users should stress themselves out trying to get a crown done in one visit, while trying to manage new software and procedures involved with their jump into the technology? Heck no!

Patients won't know that you are doing anything different, initially. They are getting a crown as they always have done in your practice. Don't feel pressured at the beginning of your journey to get everything done in one visit if you have not determined how long this new type of procedure will take you. Utilize the time in between the two visits to design restorations with no pressure when the office is not busy, like early in the morning before the day, or during lunch. Get familiar with the software, the design process and staining and glazing. After a couple of restorations, you will likely get the hang of it and better understand how long a single visit appointment will take you and how to schedule it.

I posted a blog on Oct. 22, 2010 about timing yourself to better understand which areas of the procedure need to be improved upon. Be sure to give that a read to help out more on the initial trek into CEREC.

I know that some will think it is sacrilege to do a CEREC in two visits, but if you are a new user, do whatever it takes to feel comfortable with the new technology. The key is confidence at the beginning and setting yourself up to succeed. Make sure you watch the videos in the "New User" section here on the cerecdoctors.com website to speed up the process even more. In no time, you'll be doing one-visit dentistry efficiently and with confidence, and your patients will be thanking you for it!