Technology in Dentistry

CEREC: Single-Visit Dentistry

Cerec 3D’s modular CAD/CAM technology makes it possible to manufacture all-ceramic restorations (inlays, onlays, partial crowns, veneers and crowns for the anterior and posterior teeth) in our dental practice in a single visit.

With this state-of-the-art technology your restorations are made without the need for conventional dental impressions. Instead an intra-oral camera takes a digital picture (impression) of your teeth as well as a digital bite reference. Most patients love it because there is no more gagging or choking while trying to stay still for a couple of minutes during the impression process. The digital impression is made in a matter of seconds. Once the digital impression is taken the computer constructs a virtual model of your teeth on which we custom design your all-ceramic restoration in order to restore your tooth to its esthetic form and function. The design information is then sent to our computerized milling machine which fabricates your restoration in 3 to 6 minutes while you wait. Our patients love to watch their restorations being made and oftentimes want to take it out of the machine themselves to see it up close! Everyone is amazed by this technology!

Click Here to view a video about using CEREC.

Benefits of CEREC:

• Leave your appointment with your permanent restoration(s) the same day
• No second appointment necessary
• No extra time off from work
• No temporaries to inconveniently fall out
• No additional shots
• The tooth is sealed at that visit decreasing bacterial contamination

Call our office at 626-966-8488 to schedule your complimentary CEREC evaluation and find out if you are a candidate for single-visit CEREC all-ceramic restorations.

Computer Imaging

Let’s imagine for a moment that you had a magic wand, and you could create your own dream smile instantly. What would it look like? – whiter…straighter…maybe more youthful, the possibilities are unique to each person. Here at Premier Esthetics we not only encourage our patients to dream about a great smile but we give them the opportunity through the use of dental imaging technology to see an actual picture of themselves smiling with their new smile! Patients take their image home and begin to imagine how that new smile would make them feel!

The wonderful advantage of computer imaging is that we now have the ability to show our patients their new smile before anything has to be done.

It’s as easy as 1-2-3 smile. In order to provide you with a realistic preview of your dream smile, we take in our office a digital photo of your full face and close-up. From these photographs, as well as your input on how you would like your smile to look, a customized image of your new smile is fabricated. Patients are amazed by this technology and love seeing themselves smiling their new, dream smile! Oftentimes they say: “That looks wonderful. What a big difference. I’m surprised how much younger I look.”

If you are interested in seeing how you would look with your new dream smile contact our office for a complimentary smile evaluation.

Lasers in Dentistry

Laser dentistry can be a precise and effective way to perform many dental procedures while providing additional benefits not found with conventional dental procedures.

Benefits of Lasers

• Cavity Detection (Diagnodent)
• Reduction of bacteria in periodontal pockets and surgical sites
• Accelerated soft tissue healing with less discomfort post-operatively
• Accelerated healing of cold sores and herpetic lesions while decreasing the pain associated with them
• Better hemostatic control during restorative procedures
• Tooth desensitization
• Easier recovery from frenectomies
• Certain laser procedures may not require anesthesia
• Lower need for sutures (stitches)

Cariscreen Susceptibility Testing Meter:

Do you brush, floss and do everything the dentist asks of you and you still get cavities? If the answer is yes you should have a CAries Management By Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) evaluation.

Caries risk assessment involves taking a thorough medical, dental and dietary history, dental radiographs, an oral and salivary examination, and the use of the advanced technology called the cariescreen susceptibility testing meter.

Dental decay is caused by a bacterial infection called caries. Caries is a very complex bacterial infection of the bacterial layer adhered to the teeth called the biofilm. The infection begins when the environment in the mouth allows the bacteria responsible for the infection to get a strong foothold in the oral cavity and flourish. This infection can be transmitted from one person to another.

The cariescreen susceptibility testing meter can within a minute assess a patients risk for the caries infection. This painless, quick test involves taking a sample of the plaque (bacteria) in a patient’s mouth and testing it with the meter. Scores range between 0 to 9999. A score of 1500 or lower indicates relative health whereas a score over 1500 indicates considerable risk for decay. With this technology we are able to assess a patient’s relative risk today as well as monitor a patient’s progress towards health with subsequent follow-up tests while the patient follows the recommended protocols to help them decrease their risk to caries infection.