Plenty of circumstances can lead to the need for a dental crown. When such damage occurs to your smile as a result of injury or severe decay, a dental crown might be the strongest and most attractive way to restore form and function to your tooth. If you’re dreading the in between parts of waiting for a permanent crown to be fabricated, the innovative CEREC system may be crowned the king of dental restorations in your mind.
What are Dental Crowns?
Cavities are essentially infections, and they should be treated as such. This is why dentists generally encourage patients to visit every six months without fail. At biannual checkups, dental professionals take x-rays and implement thorough examinations to catch decay at the earliest possible stage. The ideal is to stop a cavity when only a small filling is sufficient. However, there are times when appointments are too few and far between, or insurance issues make checkups more challenging. Festering decay usually means a dental crown is necessary to properly repair a badly damaged tooth. Many patients fall into a panic when they hear this recommendation, as they fear a battery of uncomfortable dental visits including a period of time wearing an ill-fitting temporary crown. Well, worry no further; CEREC is here.
More on CEREC
Dental crowns in a single visit are now available through the innovation of CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics). Crowns are basically ceramic caps designed to fit snugly and completely over the visible portion of a damaged tooth. Dental crowns serve the purpose of reinforcing and protecting what remains of healthy tooth structure in order to prevent further infection. CEREC crowns are customized and fabricated just as traditional dental crowns, except that they do not have to be sent off to a lab. A special machine utilizes 3D imaging software to create your customized single visit crown. CEREC is multi-faceted – part design system and part milling machine. The system has built in dental porcelain that can even be color-matched to your surrounding smile. For durable crowns without the wait, CEREC is a wave of the future that is already here.
ABOUT YOUR EVANSTON DENTIST:
Dr. Brent Engelberg and his highly-skilled team proudly serve patients and their families from Arlington Heights, IL, and all surrounding communities, including; Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, and the Northern and Northwest Chicago Suburbs. To learn more, schedule a consultation online, or call our office today at 847-259-8030.
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