05.03.2013

What are CEREC One-Visit crowns?

by Gordon P. Smith, DDS

CEREC stands for the Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics.

This is the CEREC Omnicam

Easy videos of teeth.

But what is it actually?

CEREC Omnicam is innovative equipment that allows our office to use 3D streaming video of your teeth  and special software to design a custom crowns,  veneers, and fillings  in our office.  The design is then sent wirelessly to a milling machine in our office and  is milled from a solid block of ceramic.  Once baked, custom shaded, and polished it is bonded to your tooth.  You leave the office within 90 minutes with an exceptionally strong, beautiful custom restoration.

Patients also love the full color virtual models of their mouth produced by Omnican. This technology is excellent for patient education.

Let’s explore some of the advantages of this procedure to you as a patient:

One visit.  No impression material. No temporary. Great results. What are you waiting for?!

 

01.07.2011

My wife Jacki and I have begun a new venture. Stemming from our desire to achieve optimal health for ourselves, we had tried various ineffective diets to lose weight, lose fat, and return to a healthy BMI.

As noted in the previous post, I am interested in more than just dental health. I am interested in the overall health of myself, my family and my patients.   So, in September 2010,  we began the Take Shape for Life program with our health coach in Atlanta, GA.

We have been so successful, that we have decided to help others develop the habits of health.

Take Shape for Life  and the Habits of Health System  typically provide:

Make 2011 your year!   Join us at our free informational seminar and product tasting event on Jan 18, 2011 7:00-8:30pm.

Click the following link for our flier with details of the event. Take Shape for Life – Free informational seminar and Tasting

01.04.2011

by Gordon P. Smith, DDS

Much is known about the effect of systemic disease on oral health.

Common diseases such as diabetes, herpes, cancer, osteoporosis, hypertension (high blood pressure), asthma, sinus troubles, and even pregnancy can have both direct and indirect effects on oral health. Other, more rare autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and AIDS, also manifest themselves in the mouth. (This list is far from inclusive.)

In addition, many medications have side effects that affect oral health. Some of these medications may be discussed in future blogs,  but I will give you some general examples. Many medications cause drying of the mouth. This can lead to bad breath, increased tooth decay, and gum disease. Other medications cause gingival enlargement and overgrowth. Still others, cause bleeding, taste alteration, lesions, fungal and bacterial infections and so on. Osteoporosis drugs can even lead to the necrosis of the jaw.
(You may visit medications and oral health for tables of medications and treatments and their affect on oral health.)

We are now learning that Oral Disease can also lead to Systemic Disease!

Many studies have found that the inflammation and bacterial byproducts of Chronic Periodontal (Gum) Disease can lead to low grade chronic inflammation processes in distant organs and systems. Although hardly exclusive, the most well know of these connections is the Cardiovascular system. Periodontal disease has been shown to be associated with increased atherosclerotic plaques, C-reactive protein, and plasma fibrinogen; all known factors in cardiovascular disease. There has been reports of increased risk of both heart attacks and strokes.

In my next post, coming soon, I will tell you about my joint venture with my wife to improve the health of our patients and our community.

02.07.2010

Invisalign is constantly trying to improve their product.

Recently they introduced Invisalign Teen.  This product helps dentists treat younger patients by including:

In addition, many improvements have been made to their existing product lines.  These include improvements in rotating, erupting, and intruding teeth.  They have also optimized tooth movement so that the whole tooth moves rather than just tips.  More information can be found by clicking the  following:

Invisalign news release

Or by watching this video:

Invisalign Improvements

10.26.2009

by Gordon P. Smith, DDS

I had one assistant go home with a bad cold or flu and another leave today because her daughter has the H1N1 virus. I had to close today. Has the flu affected your business or family? Are you planning on getting vaccinated for the regular flu or for H1N1 (swine flu)? Please comment.

I decided to begin with this topic because I have found much confusion both among dentists and the general public. I am going to limit my comments to permanent crowns. However, you can also ask me any questions about temporary crowns.

There are 3  general types of crowns: all metal, porcelain fused to metal, & all ceramic or porcelain. (All other types I consider temporary or long-term temporary.)  These crowns can be full crowns, covering the whole tooth, or partial crowns.  Let us discuss each of these types separately.

All Metal Crowns

which are made of  gold or other alloys have the following advantages

  1. Less tooth needs to be removed.
  2. Withstand biting and chewing forces best with the least force transmitted to those opposing teeth biting against them.
  3. Minimal tooth wear to opposing teeth.

The color is the main drawback and why these are usually suggested only for out of sight teeth.

Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns

can be made to more closely match the color of your existing teeth. However:

  1. The crown’s porcelain may chip or break off.
  2. The porcelain is harder against the opposing  acting more like a hammer and also causes more wear.
  3. More tooth has to be removed to allow for both the metal and the porcelain.
  4. Because of the metal lining, they quite often appear more opaque than the natural tooth.
  5. At the edge, especially if your gums recede, the metal can show through the porcelain appearing as a dark line.

These crowns are used for front and back teeth.

All Ceramic or all porcelain crowns

are the most aesthetic and provide the best color match. They are also the best choice for people with metal allergies.  But:

  1. They are typically not as strong as porcelain to metal crowns (However, improvements are being made all the time)
  2. They wear the teeth more than metal crowns but about the same as porcelain to metal.
  3. There are many types and the all have different properties in terms of strength, opacity, wear, and type of preparation.  Your dentist needs to know which will be best in your situation.

These are a great choice for front teeth but certain materials can be used for back teeth and even short span bridges (another discussion).

Please comment on this discussion of crown types.  Ask me any questions. Do you know the type of crown that you have in your mouth?

Depending upon your responses, I may follow this up with a more detailed discussion of all ceramic crowns.