CEREC technology is remarkable. It lets us make new ceramic crowns in our office in one day. There’s no need to get temporary restorations and no need to make a second visit to the dentist. Instead, you get your dental restoration procedure completed in a single visit.
While CEREC crowns have the greatest demand, Anchorage dentist Dr. Richard Crosby can use CEREC technology for other types of restorations as well. Here are some of your other options for one-day restorations.
Inlays and Onlays
Inlays and onlays are ceramic fillings. Like other dental fillings, they restore teeth damaged by decay. However, these are stronger, more attractive, and more durable than other fillings.
Inlays are ceramic fillings that rest inside the raised parts of your larger teeth–the cusps–while onlays extend over one or more of the cusps. In the past, most people would choose regular composite–plastic and ceramic–fillings because they didn’t want to wait for a lab to manufacture the ceramic fillings. Now with CEREC technology you can choose to get inlays and onlays in one visit.
Composite fillings are good in many situations, but inlays and onlays are better in situations where you:
- Are replacing large metal fillings
- Might otherwise need a dental crown
- Want the most attractive fillings
- Want the most durable fillings
Composite fillings might not be up to the task if you are looking to replace large metal fillings. This can lead to pressure sensitivity or leave your teeth vulnerable to cracking.
Because inlays and onlays are so strong, there are some situations where we might be able to use them instead of a dental crown. This can preserve more of your irreplaceable natural tooth material.
Part of what is remarkable about CEREC inlays and onlays is how they combine beauty and strength. Just like CEREC single-visit crowns, these inlays and onlays can match your natural tooth appearance. The ceramic even has the same luster as natural tooth material.
Thanks to their strength, CEREC inlays and onlays are highly durable. They are capable of withstanding strong bite forces and lasting for decades without breaking or wearing away. And they maintain their attractive appearance. Composite fillings will stain and lose their luster, but CEREC inlays and onlays resist stains and maintain their shine, even if you stop in at Black Cup every morning for your daily coffee.
Dental Bridges
Dental bridges are a traditional tooth replacement. In the past, a dental bridge used dental crowns over supporting teeth–called abutment teeth–to support a replacement tooth, called a pontic. Now we typically use dental bridges to support multiple replacement teeth with dental implants. Hybrid implant dentures, for example, could be described as a dental bridge. CEREC can create a 3-unit bridge: two supporting crowns and a pontic. .
Because we often have to wait for dental implants to heal before placing final restorations, CEREC technology isn’t always useful for this application. However, it gives us time-saving options in some situations.
Porcelain Veneers
Dr. Crosby rarely uses CEREC for porcelain veneers. This isn’t because CEREC restorations aren’t attractive enough. It’s because when you want porcelain veneers, you usually want a whole set to create a new, beautiful smile with a smile makeover. CEREC makes each restoration individually, so making a whole set of veneers would take so much time that it would defeat the purpose.
However, we might recommend CEREC veneers in situations where you want just one or two veneers, such as treating:
- A chipped tooth
- A gap between teeth
- Peg laterals or a retained baby tooth
If you chipped a tooth, you probably want to repair it quickly. In the past, the only repair option that’d do that for you is dental bonding, but with CEREC you can get a beautiful, durable veneer instead.
If you have a minor gap between your teeth–called a diastema–we can close the gap with either orthodontics or veneers. When we use veneers, it takes two veneers that reshape the teeth to close the gap between them.
Peg laterals are incisors–the flat biting teeth in front–that emerge in a round shape rather than flat as they should be. We can reshape them with CEREC veneers. Similarly, if you have baby teeth that never fell out, we can sometimes enlarge them with veneers so they match your other teeth.
Get Beautiful One-Visit CEREC Restorations in Anchorage
If you are looking for cosmetic or restorative dentistry that fits in your schedule, CEREC can be a lifesaver. Instead of making multiple visits to the dentist for designing and fitting, and spending weeks wearing temporaries, you can get your crowns, inlays, bridges, and veneers in just one visit. Let Dr. Crosby show you the benefits of CEREC technology at his Anchorage office.
Please call (907) 277-1098 or book an appointment today.
