subject: Restore Damages Teeth With Cerec Single Visit Crowns And Onlays [print this page] Let's face it, not many of us have perfect teeth, free of decay and fillings. In fact, you may be able to see a filling or two in your mouth, which fill a cavity, or hold, in your tooth left from the excavation of decayed tooth structure. Often, the metal materials that are used for fillings can go bad, weaken the tooth structure or develop decay surrounding or underneath it.
With CEREC, however, your dentist can not only replace these metal fillings, but also restore any tooth that is decayed, weakened or broken to its natural strength and beauty. CEREC is performed with all-ceramic materials that are tooth colored in a single appointment. If you need a crown to cover damaged teeth, CEREC may be an effective procedure for the restoration of your smile.
Cap off Damaged Teeth with Crowns
When the damage to a tooth is extensive, a crown is often used to cover the weak tooth. Crowns can be used for various reasons, including:
*To treat or protect a weak tooth, or those with large fillings
*To strengthen a fractured or broken tooth
*To enhance a tooth that is discolored or treated by a root canal
*To hold a dental bridge in place
*To cover a dental implant
*To provide a strong, smooth, attractive surface for stained, misshapen or abnormal teeth
*To improve the shape, size or color of teeth
While conventional crowns have been used to strengthen teeth for decades with great success, they weren't always the most aesthetically pleasing option due to the dark metals used to fabricate the crowns. With recent advancements in dental technology and an increasingly high demand for an improved appearance from patients, crowns made of porcelain have emerged as a popular alternative to unsightly metal crowns
Onlays for Smile Restorations
Unlike metal fillings, an onlay can often be used to repair only the damaged portion of the tooth, leaving more of the original tooth structure intact. Made of a strong, natural-looking material, such as porcelain, onlays are larger restorations, extending over one of more sides of your tooth, and can be used in a similar way to a crown. A conservative tooth restoration that requires far less tooth removal than its metal counterpart, an onlay increases tooth strength and provides enduring protection for the tooth. If a cavity is detected in a dental exam, or if you have a failing metal filling or crown, and the decay extends beyond the cusp of the tooth, an onlay may be used to restore the tooth to health.
CEREC Technology
With the CEREC system, your cosmetic dentist in Ellicott City, MD can create beautiful life-like porcelain restorations for your teeth. An infrared camera takes images of your tooth after shaping. A CAD CAM computer program immediately downloads the images of your teeth to create a three-dimensional virtual model that can be viewed and manipulated on the computer monitor.
CEREC offers a host of benefits for the restoration of your tooth or teeth. One of the main benefits is that they can be created in a single visit, which saves time for you and your dentist. Potential discomfort is eliminated because there is no need for a temporary crown between procedures, which allows for a more comfortable experience. CEREC crowns also do not contain any metal, allowing them to be esthetically pleasing and natural looking.
If you are in need of crowns, contact your Ellicott City, MD cosmetic dentist for more information on how CEREC works and if it is a good solution for your smile. A proper consultation with your Ellicott City, MD dentist will allow for accurate results and an appropriate treatment solution to enhance and restore your smile.