Mark Fleming I use this term a lot when teaching CEREC users. I believe it is a very important part of a successful CEREC restoration proposal.
First, when prepping, as much as possible, prep along the long axis of the tooth and along the long axis of the arch. This makes it very easy to get successful optical images for a virtual model. If you keep this idea of long axis in mind, you set your camera accordingly and just move it straight posterior to anterior of the arch. Once the camera is set, no worries about pitch, roll and yaw. You are already set.
I have found that when I am ready to set my insertion axis after placing the margin for the restoration, if I set that axis along the long axis of my prep, which is along the long axis of the arch, the subsequent initial proposal hardly has to be modified. Proposals can be quickly ready to be milled.
So, the next time you are getting ready to prep for a CEREC restoration, think long axis!
