How We Make Dental Crowns in One Day

Chair-Side Economic Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, or CEREC, is a revolutionary treatment aid that allows cosmetic dentists to provide quick, custom-fit dental crowns.  Even better, CEREC crowns give patients permanent restorations in just one day. Here’s how the process works:

Digital molds -  CEREC equipment contains computer software that builds a 3D, virtual model of your smile from digital images taken by your dentist.  This technology gives your dentist a better map of your teeth and oral structures than what could be achieved with standard tray impressions.

Designing your crown – By manipulating the 3D model of your smile, the design for your dental crown can be created to precisely and comfortably fit the shape of your smile.

In-house milling – Once the finalized design for your crown is complete, your permanent restoration is created in under an hour. CEREC contains a milling component that creates a dental crown from a solid block of porcelain in just one hour. Your crown is then polished and stained to be a perfect match in color and texture for your natural teeth.

Compare this one-day dental process to getting traditional dental crowns, which involves shipping standard impressions to a dental lab, getting a temporary prosthetic while you wait, and then coming back to the dental office again in two weeks to receive your permanent restoration.

With 3D, digital technology cosmetic dental patients are able to receive their permanent restorations in only one hour.  With our commitment to cutting edge technology at Sienna Smiles, we have been able to reduce wait times for treatment while creating and restoring beautiful, healthy smiles.

If you have missing or damaged teeth, we can give you a beautiful new smile in as little as a single visit. For more information about CEREC same-day dental crowns, or to schedule an appointment, call our office in Missouri City, TX at 281-778-3200.

Why Dental Implants Are So Long-Lasting

Dental implants have become a popular choice for replacing missing teeth because they restore full oral function. But perhaps the most significant advantage is their ability to provide a long-lasting solution to tooth loss.

With proper care, dental implants can last patients a lifetime – but what makes them different than other, popular restoration options?

Biocompatibility – Through a process called osseointegration, bone in your jaw naturally incorporates with the titanium root of the dental implant. With the post and the bone in your jaw fused, the implant has a base that acts like a natural tooth root. This sturdiness helps your implant withstand decades of typical oral function, like full biting and chewing.

Strong Anchors – Restorations like bridges and removable dentures rest on teeth and tissues or have to be held in place with adhesive. These unstable bases can cause prosthetics to damage your oral health. However, dental implants are held in place with a post and an abutment – so they’re not resting on existing teeth, or rubbing on gums. Their strength and independence gives them a lasting power that other restorations cannot claim.

Durable and natural-looking ceramics – In many cases, other restorations have to be replaced entirely because of wear and tear, or signs of aging. Ceramic-over-metal dental crowns and bridges start to show a black line around your gums after a time and need to be completely replaced in order to look more natural. However, the all-ceramic crowns used on dental implants do not show their age in this way. And if your crown does happen to chip as the result of an accident, the crown is the only thing that needs restoring – not the whole post or abutment.

Dental implants integrate naturally with bone and do not interfere with surrounding teeth, making them an ideal choice for long-lasting dental restorations.   If you have questions about how dental implants can help you, contact Sienna Smiles for your consultation. 

Is Invisalign® Worth It?

Invisalign® is an innovative technology that makes it easier than ever to get the beautiful smile you’ve always wanted.  For patients with moderate dental problems, like teeth crowding or gapping, Invisalign® is comparable in price to regular metal braces -- so asking yourself whether getting Invisalign® is worth it is less about the cost of treatment, and more about what’s involved in the process. 

When thinking about getting clear braces, you should take the benefits, as well as your part in your orthodontic care plan, into account by considering the following:

Invisalign® is Discreet - The treatment process uses a set of clear plastic aligners to exert gentle pressure on teeth, gradually moving them into ideal position. If you’re worried about having a mouthful of metal, Invisalign® helps solve that problem with nearly invisible aligner trays.

Removable Aligners Make Straightening Teeth Convenient – You can take your trays out to brush your teeth every day, as well as during meal times. There’s no need to worry about damaging brackets by eating sticky or crunchy food, or trying to brush and floss around wires.

No Metal Brackets Equals More Comfortable Care – Invisalign® won’t cause the same degree of discomfort as traditional metal braces, which can cut or scrape the inside of your cheeks.

However, choosing Invisalign® requires a commitment to wearing your aligners for a full 22 hours per day. If you are forgetful or cannot keep to a consistent schedule for wearing your aligners, you won’t see ideal results. After removing your aligners to eat or brush and floss, they should be immediately replaced and worn through the rest of the day, as well as during sleep.  Some younger patients may have a harder time keeping to a consistent schedule, while adult patients may not experience the same difficulties.

Straightening your teeth is an excellent investment in your oral health, no matter which method you choose; completely understanding the treatment process can help you to make an informed decision about Invisalign®. If you have questions about whether Invislaign will work for you, contact our office for more information. 

Welcome to our blog!

We're excited to announce the official launch of our Sienna Smiles blog.

We'll be posting helpful dental tips, news from the dental industry, news from our practice, and more about the latest in dentistry.

We built our practice on the notion that we're there for our patients when they need us and we want our online presence to be a reflection of that principle. We hope this blog provides an extra level of service to our current and future patients.

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Here's to your best oral health ever!