Editor's note: Helaine Smith's column, The Mouth Physician, appears regularly on the DrBicuspid.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion. January marks two years of my ownership of a Cerec machine.

Imagine shopping for a car if the only make was Ford. Or dining out if the only place to eat was Sizzler. For 21 years, that has been the situation dentists faced if they wanted to make crowns and ...