CEREC digital technology revolutionizes the process of restoring damaged teeth by allowing fillings, crowns, and veneers to be created and placed in a single dental visit. With just one appointment, the dentist can diagnose the issue, prepare your tooth, take a digital impression, and use CEREC to create and bond the restoration to your existing tooth.
This state-of-the-art technology utilizes digital equipment to create a 3D image of your tooth, replacing the traditional physical impressions used by dentists. The digital scan is then used with CAD software to design a highly accurate restoration that fits your tooth perfectly.
One of the major advantages of CEREC is the ability to mill the restoration directly in the office. In approximately 15 minutes, your ceramic restoration is ready for placement. The process includes fitting, bonding, and polishing, restoring your tooth on the spot.
CEREC is versatile and can be used for various dental restorations, including:
- Crowns: A cap placed over a tooth to enhance its strength, shape, size, or appearance. CEREC crowns are made from a material similar to enamel, providing a natural look and feel. This process is completed in one visit, eliminating the need for temporary crowns or additional appointments.
- Onlays: These are larger fillings that replace tooth material lost to cavities, covering a significant portion of the tooth’s chewing surface. CEREC onlays are tooth-colored, durable, and look natural while offering a metal-free solution.
- Inlays: Smaller than onlays, CEREC inlays fill a smaller portion of the tooth and provide a comfortable, attractive solution for cavities. Like onlays, inlays are designed using CAD technology for a perfect fit.
With CEREC, you can enjoy quicker, more convenient dental restorations without compromising on quality or aesthetics.
Take the first step towards a confident smile. Contact our Longview dental office to schedule your consultation!
Dental Implants: Benefits and Risks in [Longview]
Dental implants are a popular and effective solution for replacing missing teeth, offering numerous benefits for both function and appearance. However, like any surgical procedure, there are also some potential risks to consider. If you’re thinking about getting dental implants, here’s what you need to know:
Benefits of Dental Implants
- Appearance: Dental implants blend seamlessly with your natural teeth, providing a realistic and attractive smile.
- Comfort: Implants function just like your natural teeth, offering comfort and ease in daily activities such as eating and speaking.
- Support: Implants provide structural support to your jaw, preventing a “caved-in” appearance and preserving a youthful look.
- Sensitivity: Many patients report reduced tooth and gum sensitivity after receiving dental implants.
- Adjacent Teeth: Unlike dental bridges, implants do not affect or require alterations to neighboring teeth, preserving their health.
- Durability: Implants are a long-lasting solution, typically requiring only one surgery. Even if the crown needs replacing, it can be done without additional surgery.
- Speech: Implants restore your ability to speak clearly and naturally, unlike dentures that may shift.
- TMJ Health: Replacing missing teeth helps prevent jaw disorders such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems.
- Bone Loss Prevention: The titanium posts of implants fuse with your jawbone, preventing bone loss and gum recession over time.
Risks of Dental Implants
- Infection: Without proper oral hygiene, gum and tissue infections can occur. Following all recovery and care instructions is essential.
- Failed Integration: In some cases, the implant does not properly fuse with the jawbone, leading to discomfort or looseness. If this happens, the implant will need to be removed and replaced after the area has healed.
- Sinus Problems: If implants are placed in the back of the upper jaw, they may affect your sinuses, requiring additional surgery like sinus augmentation.
- Nerve or Tissue Damage: Though rare, implants can cause nerve or blood vessel damage, leading to pain, tingling, swelling, or numbness. This is typically avoidable with a skilled dentist or oral surgeon.
Choosing the Right Dental Implant Specialist
To minimize risks and ensure the best outcome, it’s crucial to choose an experienced and qualified dental implant dentist in [Longview]. A skilled professional will guide you through the process, ensuring a successful treatment and a beautiful, lasting result.
We offer dental implants for missing teeth at our Longview dental office.
Dental implants are the most advanced solution for replacing missing teeth, offering a stable foundation that mimics the function of a natural tooth root. Due to their exceptional qualities, dental implants are becoming increasingly popular as more people learn about their convenience and stability.
Typically made of porcelain or similar materials, dental implants are placed on top of a titanium screw that is embedded into the jawbone. Over time, this screw fuses with the bone in a process called osseointegration, creating a base that is as stable as the roots of natural teeth.
Unlike dental bridges, which can become loose and trap food underneath, dental implants offer a solid foundation with no space underneath to collect food and cause discomfort or bacteria buildup.
Other tooth restorations often require special cleaning techniques, but dental implants are cared for just like natural teeth, through regular brushing and flossing. This makes them easy to maintain and worry-free for everyday oral care.
The health of your jawbone relies on the stimulation provided by natural tooth roots. Without this stimulation, the bone begins to shrink. Dental implants prevent this by acting as artificial roots, helping to maintain bone density and strength.
With these benefits and more, dental implants are quickly becoming the go-to solution for missing teeth. Consult your cosmetic dentist to find out why dental implants might be the ideal option for you.
Take the first step towards a confident smile. Contact our Longview dental office to schedule your consultation!
If you have tooth pain or another issue, you might wonder what a visit to the dentist may reveal. You may need a root canal procedure. In order to properly evaluate your issue and confirm the need for a procedure, a dentist will examine several factors. These typically include the symptoms you are experiencing, the signs observed, and any additional testing required to confirm an initial theory.
You may have noticed:
- Average to severe pain that lingers during or immediately after drinking hot liquids or food, or very cold liquids or foods.
- Pain, swelling, or sensitivity when biting or chewing on a certain tooth.
- Tooth pain that disrupts your life, preventing you from sleeping through the night or conducting daily activities without taking an over-the-counter pain reliever.
- A “bubble” on your gum, similar to a pimple. When irritated, it may release blood or pus with a bad taste or smell.
- Pain radiating from one tooth to other areas of your head or jaw, such as a headache behind the eye or an earache.
- A discolored tooth that appears darker than the surrounding teeth. A grey tooth can indicate a “dead” tooth.
- A broken or cracked tooth with visible damage or decay.
Your dentist may have noticed:
- A tooth problem revealed by x-rays.
- A recurring or persistent gum pimple (also called “fistulous tracts”).
- A tooth that has changed color.
Additional testing:
- X-ray examination – Provides a clear picture of tooth health, especially if initial x-rays did not reveal the problem.
- Percussion testing – Gentle tapping on the teeth to evaluate pain response.
- Thermal testing – Application of hot or cold stimuli to evaluate sensitivity.
Sometimes, teeth requiring a root canal procedure show no symptoms discernible to the patient. Regular visits to your dentist are crucial for the proper diagnosis and treatment needed to maintain life-long oral health.
If you need root canal treatment in the Longview area, contact our office today to schedule a consultation.
Wisdom teeth are the last adult teeth to erupt into the mouth, generally emerging between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one. They are the third set of molars and are in pairs: two each on the top and bottom arch of teeth. While some patients don’t have wisdom teeth, most do. Many of those who do have them don’t have enough room for those teeth to erupt fully, causing them to be wedged under the back of another tooth, impacted in the gum.
Impacted wisdom teeth are very difficult to clean, and can negatively affect the surrounding teeth. They are highly vulnerable to disease and decay and may lead to tooth pain and damage to adjacent teeth. For these and other reasons, a dentist may recommend that the teeth be extracted through oral surgery as soon as necessary to prevent any problems.
Extraction of wisdom teeth is typically an outpatient procedure done in an oral surgeon’s office. A healthy patient can proceed with a typical surgery, but if any infection is detected, the surgery can’t move forward until the infection is cleared up through the use of a full course of antibiotics. Once the surgery is moving forward, the surgeon’s team will administer some form of anesthesia to numb the area surrounding the tooth or to possibly sedate the patient through IV sedation dentistry.
After the anesthesia has fully taken effect, the surgeon makes an incision to open the gum and to remove any bone that is blocking the tooth from extraction. The tissue connecting the bone to the tooth will be separated and the tooth will be removed. In some cases, the surgeon will have to break the tooth into smaller pieces to make it easier to remove. After thoroughly cleaning the area and removing any remaining debris, the incision will be closed, stitched and packed with sterile cotton gauze to staunch any bleeding.
The surgeon will provide aftercare instructions. Patients should follow these instructions to the letter in order to ensure the best and fastest healing of the surgical site.
Take the first step towards a confident smile. Contact our Longview dental office to schedule your consultation!
Dental implants have been in use for more than sixty years, and over that time period, they have risen in popularity among cosmetic dentists as the top-of-the-line tooth restoration for patients with missing teeth.
Dental implants have two main components: a screw-like base and a fabricated tooth-like replacement that sits on top of the screw. Typically the screw is made from titanium and is extremely durable. The screw is surgically implanted directly into the patient’s jawbone, and over time, it fuses directly into the bone. This process is known as osseointegration and it’s the reason dental implants are so successful.
This bond with the bone allows the implant to serve as a complete replacement for the roots of a missing tooth. Dental implants can be used to anchor a single tooth, a dental bridge or even serve as one of several secure implant anchors for dentures.
The bones of the jaw thrive through the stimulation of a tooth’s natural roots. Remove the roots and the bone begins to shrink. This is the reason dentures seem to shift over time. The denture is the same shape; it’s the bones that are changing. Because dental implants mimic tooth roots in the bone, the bone remains stimulated, and continues to be healthy, providing support for surrounding tooth roots and the patient’s facial bones.
Dental implants have a very high success rate. They look very much like natural teeth. They are stable and secure and are considered by many cosmetic dentists to be the best choice for replacing one or more missing teeth.
If you are missing a tooth and you want the best restoration available, talk to the cosmetic dentist in Longview about dental implants. You might be surprised to learn about all the benefits dental implants can offer you to replace your missing tooth.
Are dental issues holding you back? Take control of your oral health by booking an appointment with our experienced team at our Longview dental office.
