MORE GOOD REASONS TO SMILE

Just a Day Away

CEREC 3 and Illumine let our patients enjoy a healthy, beautiful smiles in just one visit.

A Truly Bonding Experience

Bonded restorations provide superior beauty and function.

Achieving a Beautiful Smile

Emergency Quick Tips

How to prepare for, or better yet prevent, dental emergencies.

A Lifetime of Smiles

The power of prevention keeps our patients smiling.

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FYI

Your smile is one of your greatest personal assets.  

And strong, healthy teeth are a very important factor in your health and quality of life.  In fact, a phone survey of 1,000 adults found that 90% of the respondents believe an attractive smile is an asset to one’s career and 58% said they were more likely to trust someone with an attractive smile.  And a study performed by the Mayo Clinic found that patients who keep their natural teeth actually live longer!

Now strong, healthy teeth and an attractive smile are just a day away.  Using CEREC 3 technology we can complete most bonded ceramic restorations in a single visit!

What is the CEREC 3?  CEREC is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics.  The designation of 3 means it is in it’s third incarnation, which represents improvements in design and function over previous models.   And while this is new technology for our office, and largely for the Chicago area, dentists have been using the CEREC system for over a decade.  In fact, more than two millions CEREC restorations have been placed worldwide.

The beauty and strength of ceramic has long been recognized as superior for dental restorations.  Ceramic is biocompatible, anti abrasive, and plaque resistant.  It can be made to match the shade of your natural teeth so closely even you will forget which tooth has been restored.  Studies show that  CEREC restoration strengthen teeth as well, a tooth restored using the CEREC system has 103 to 115 percent of the strength of a “virgin” tooth!

A thin layer of reflective powder is then painted on the surface of the tooth.  Using a special infrared camera, we then take a picture of the tooth.  We design the final restoration from this picture, which is actually a pin-sharp optical impression of the prepared tooth.  In other words, instead of sticking gooey nasty impression material in your mouth we take a picture.  And not only is it more pleasant for you, it is also more accurate.

Computer Aided Design (CAD) technology helps us design the restoration from the optical impression.  We’ll design your restoration in the CAD program so that the size and shape match your natural teeth and work with your other teeth to provide ideal function. 

Once the design is complete Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) creates an extremely precise restoration.  A high-speed diamond bur and a disk work simultaneously to mill the restoration out of a solid block of ceramic.

Your custom restoration is then bonded to your tooth using state-of-the-art adhesive materials.  We won’t need to place a temporary restoration, which can be uncomfortable and unsightly, and you won’t need another appointment.  You now have a strong healthy tooth that looks great!

How do I know if a CEREC 3 restoration is right for me?  We can create nearly any type of restoration using the CEREC 3.  Crowns, bridges, veneers, inlays and onlays can all be created with the CEREC system.  Unfortunately, not every tooth is a candidate for CEREC technology.  For instance, teeth that have been destroyed by grinding and clenching are not candidates for this procedure, as the ceramic restoration could be destroyed in the same way.  All in all, the earlier the damage is diagnosed and treated the better the results will be no matter what system or technology we use.