Prosthetics or Dental Crowns
Prosthetic treatments allow restoration or replacement of teeth that have lost their functionality or that have been totally lost by replacing the missing part with cosmetic dental restoration. This cosmetic dental restorations are created outside, in a lab, then they are fitted to the cavity in the tooth and cemented into place. This restorations include inlays, onlays, veneer, crowns and bridges.
Inlay: restoration (filling) consisting of a solid substance (as gold or porcelain). They are made after a mold, in a lab, then they are fitted to the cavity in the tooth and cemented into place.
Onlay: the same as an inlay, except that it extends to replace a cusp.
Veneer: a thin layer of solid material that replaces or covers the enamel of the tooth.
Crowns: preserve the functionality of damaged teeth by encasing it with a custom-designed material.
Bridge: a dental restoration used to replace a missing tooth by joining permanently to adjacent teeth or dental implants (also known as a fixed partial denture).
- Porcelain fused to metal (including gold) using advanced CAD/CAM (computer imaging) techniques
- Fully ceramic zirconia crowns using CAD/CAM
- Special prosthetic treatments for implants working with an ISO accredited CEREC laboratory
- Porcelain veneers
- Ceramic or gold inlay/onlays
What is CAD/CAM technology?
Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing is a technology that analyzes, designs and fabricates the dental restoration in a very short time, using computer techniques.
The first part of the procedure is tooth preparation. Afterwards, the dentist takes an impression of the tooth not by creating a mold, but by taking a picture with a special camera that sends the tooth's 3D image into a computer. The cosmetic dental restoration is next designed with the computer's aid, from a material that is colored to match your specific tooth. The material is then placed into a miniature milling machine. In just a few minutes it produces a custom-fitting cosmetic dental restoration. In the final step, the new cosmetic dental restoration is test-fitted, color adjusted, and bonded in place.
The great advantage is that you'll have a working cosmetic dental restoration in place in just one appointment.
What is CEREC technology?
Cerec is the leading CAD/CAM technology of the moment. An image of the tooth from the cad/cam 3D camera, accurate to 25 microns (a micron is one thousandth of a millimetre), is sent to a milling machine accurate to 25 microns to create the perfect dental restoration by using cutting-edge technology.
Porcelain fused to metal (including gold) using advanced CAD/CAM (computer imaging) techniques
Porcelain fused to metal is the perfect combination between good looks and durability. While ceramic is more beautiful, porcelain fused to metal is less brittle.
Advantages
- matches your natural teeth so they provide an attractive appearance
- stronger than ceramic crowns
Disadvantages
- cannot mimic the translucency of natural teeth
- shows more of the dark line if the gum recedes
Fully ceramic zirconia crowns using CAD/CAM
Zirconium-oxide is a new high-tech ceramic composite. It is very strong and is not susceptible to the brittle fractures that can appear in ceramic dental restoration. Because it's also a very flexible material, zirconium-oxide can be used in virtually every full ceramic cosmetic dental restorations, including bridges.
Advantages:
- 100% biocompatible - high-allergy-risk patients can also have them
- no metal, meaning there is no dark-colored band and it has the appearance of natural teeth
Special prosthetic treatments for implants working with an ISO accredited CEREC laboratory
Loss of teeth creates problems related to social life and even simple activities like talking. There is also loss of masticatory function, eventually giving rise to digestive problems. If only one or a few teeth are missing, these can be replaced by a bridge, retained by crowns on the neighbouring teeth. In cases of more extensive tooth loss, a removable denture can replace the missing teeth. An alternative to a removable denture may be a fixed bridge or denture, attached to implants that are surgically inserted into the jaw-bone.
Porcelain veneers
A porcelain veneer is a thin layer of porcelain glued over a tooth surface. It greatly improves the aesthetics of the tooth and creates a beautiful smile.
When is it needed?
Whitening is not a solution for everyone. Bleaching will change the color of the tooth, but if you have tooth-colored fillings, discolored teeth on your frontal teeth the bleach will only make them stand out. So a thin layer of porcelain placed in the front of your teeth will cover them, giving you the perfect smile.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of porcelain veneers?
The porcelain ones:
- last from 3 to 5 years or more
- are more expensive
Ceramic or gold inlay/onlays
Why do it?
The amalgam or composites used to fill a tooth cavity are not strong materials. When the decay or fracture is extensive, the amalgam can compromise the structural integrity of the restored tooth by providing substandard opposition to occlusal (i.e. biting) forces. A ceramic or gold inlay/onlay provides strength and ensures the long-term integrity of the tooth.
Because the ceramic and gold inlays have different properties, their advantages are placed separately.
Advantages of ceramic inlay/onlays
- the most esthetic tooth replacements. Even a dentist will have difficulty telling the difference between your natural teeth and the ceramic inlay
- adhesively bond to the tooth
- can strengthen the tooth
Disadvantages of ceramic inlay/onlays
- can fracture if not appropriately cemented or if the patient has a heavy bite
- more expensive than direct fillings
- they do not guarantee a perfect border seal in the long run
Advantages of gold inlay/onlays
- they do not chip
- protection against recurrent decay
- precision of fabrication
- proper contouring for gingival (tissue) health
- ease of cleansing
- non-allergic
Disadvantages
- the gold color is not popular with some people
- higher price