Over the years, dental care has come a long way. Tooth decay and gum disease used to be something that seriously plagued mankind. Modern dentistry is something too many of us take for granted, but considering what passed for dental care years ago, even those of us with palpable fear of going to the dentist have a lot to be grateful for.
CEREC Same-Day Crowns
CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. It is simply a process by which dental crowns are created from the office in a single day. In the past, dentists had a limited process for creating these products. Normally you would have your tooth worked on and they would send you home with a temporary crown until the permanent one was created.
One of the biggest problems with the old method is that temporary dental crowns were usually a little bit too temporary; they would often fall off in a matter of days while the patient was eating or brushing, leading to a lot of discomfort.
Today, permanent crowns that look, function, and feel just like your natural teeth can be created and installed in one day. This is a big step forward in the field of dentistry.
Dental Implants
Before modern dentistry, if you lost a tooth, that was pretty much it. Not only does this lead to a less-appealing look, but it also comes with other problems as well. Missing teeth can make it difficult to speak. Proper chewing is also impeded, which can lead to digestive problems. Furthermore, the gums and bone surrounding the missing tooth become weak and degrade over time.
A good solution to this is the dental implant. The process is fairly simple:
- An implant is installed into the gums and jawbone. An implant is like a little screw that offers support for a dental crown that will later be installed.
- Often the patient will need to wait for a period of time for their jawbone and gum tissue to grow around the dental implant. This gives the support required for the implants to work. A temporary tooth will be given to you for this time.
- When the time is right, the crown is installed on the implant. This usually takes very little time.
Non-Mercury Fillings
For many years, dentists relied solely on amalgam fillings which contained high amounts of mercury. Today, dentists are beginning to avoid this product for a number of reasons.
- Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that can have negative effects on the human body over time.
- Mercury fillings don’t look or feel like natural teeth, leading to a “metal mouth” look.
- Mercury fillings have no adhesive quality. They have to be forced into place, which can create microfractures in the tooth that are perfect places for plaque and bacteria to thrive.
- Mercury fillings expand and contract with temperature changes, leading to further microfractures.
Today, many dentists are instead choosing non-mercury fillings comprised of composite resin. Not only do these look and feel more like natural teeth, they also don’t come with any of the problems listed above.
