Have you heard someone remind you that you only live once? Usually this is meant to encourage you to live life to the fullest, but when we hear that phrase, we think of something different for your teeth. This phrase makes us think about the fact that you only live with one set of adult teeth!
Sure, you get a set of baby teeth first, but those teeth will only last for the first six or seven years of your life. You will then have 70+ years of time with your new adult teeth. When you think about your teeth that way, you will realize just how important it is to take care of those chompers along the way!
When teeth become damaged, you need to take the time to correct those teeth. Today, we want to take some time to talk about the importance of dental restorations and how we can improve the entire restoration procedure for you, our patient!
The Important Role of Restorations
You see, when a tooth has been damaged, there is no way for it to repair itself. Over time, the damage simply progresses into something much more alarming! Something like a small cavity will continue to grow if it is not restored with a filling. Eventually, the cavity will weaken the tooth to such an extent that it cannot be saved!
Whether you are dealing with a small cavity or a missing tooth entirely, restoring that damage is imperative to maintaining a healthy smile. After all, you only have one set of adult teeth, and research shows that adults who wear dentures lose up to 10 years off of their lifespan!
So the next time you are weighing the pros and cons of your dental restoration, remember that your future life could be at stake!
The Old Way of Doing Things
In the past, a restoration (like a crown or inlay/onlay) would be a bit of a hassle to have created and placed in your mouth. The entire process would take 2-3 appointments, a few weeks, and lots of waiting.
It would begin with an appointment where we discover the problem. We would go ahead and prepare your tooth, take an impression, and place a temporary crown so that your tooth is covered while you wait for your permanent crown to be crafted in a lab somewhere across town.
In a few weeks, your crown would come in, and we would call you back into the office to bond it permanently in place. That is, of course, assuming that the crown fit correctly! If it did not, we would have to take fresh impressions and give you a few more weeks of waiting before we could actually completely restore your teeth.
Don’t Play the Waiting Game!
Waiting for restorations is not an acceptable option for you. Waiting for a permanent crown can put your teeth at risk for infection, which is why we recommend using a CEREC solution whenever possible.
Whether you are restoring a large cavity or a complete tooth, waiting will put you at risk for other, more serious problems.
CEREC Capabilities
To really understand the benefit to you as a patient, you first need to understand what CEREC actually does. CEREC is a computer-based milling machine that creates a 3D map of your teeth and then sends the information to an in-house milling machine. That machine then creates the restoration needed so that it fits your tooth perfectly.
We can complete this entire process in a single appointment. In fact, you can sit back and read an article from your favorite magazine while you wait. If there is a mistake, we can turn around and redo the restoration without asking you to go home for another few weeks of waiting!
What Can I Get?
CEREC works well for most major restorations. We can create inlays, onlays, and crowns right here in the office! Small fillings will still be completed using composite resin, but CEREC will take care of larger restorations so that you can always have a restoration completed in a single appointment.
Learn More
Are you ready to improve your dental experience? Let CEREC improve your restoration experience by saving you a lot of time and hassle. Learn more right here in our advanced dental office!
Contact us today to set up an appointment or consultation. We can’t wait to see you soon so that we can help you have a healthier smile that will last for many years to come.
