Restorative Dentistry

Restoring Your Smile

Restorative dentistry” refers to replacing missing or damaged teeth. Fillings, crowns (“caps”), bridges and implants are common restorative options. The goal is to bring back your natural smile and prevent future oral health issues.

Restorative Dentistry can fill empty spaces in the mouth that help keep teeth properly aligned. Additionally, replacing teeth makes it easier to maintain good oral care habits to help prevent plaque build-up and the problems plaque can lead to. Missing teeth can affect your health, appearance and self-esteem

Dental Implants

The key benefit of dental implants over other tooth replacement systems is that an implant connects directly to the jawbone. It’s obviously not the same as the original connection, but functions just the same. When a tooth is lost, bone loss will eventually occur in that region because the root is no longer stimulating and stabilizing the bone. By using titanium (which biochemically joins to bone) to replace the root, you get a bond that more accurately replicates the one found in nature.

Are you missing teeth? Are you looking to restore your beautiful, natural looking smile?

Dental implants for missing teeth provide exceptional aesthetic results. Made from high-quality dental materials, dental implants look function and feel like just like your natural teeth. Dental implants can be used to replace a single missing tooth or to secure a bridge or denture for replacing multiple missing teeth. Dr. Vargas and Dr. Rueda can provide dental implant services or implant secured dental restorations for beautiful results.

If you are missing teeth, dental implants are the most natural way to replace them. Dr. Vargas and Dr. Rueda are highly trained in creating dental restorations that blend seamlessly with your smile. High-quality dental porcelain is used to create a customized dental restoration that will be supported by the surgically implanted dental implants. We will work with you to design a dental crown, bridge, or denture that will improve the appearance of your teeth for a confident smile you feel proud to share.

CEREC

Our practice is state of the art and we have access to powerful technology that utilizes modern computer and manufacturing processes. What exactly is CEREC? What benefits does it offer? The process may sound complicated at first, but we’re here to help break down how it works and why it’s appealing to so many patients.

How CEREC Works

CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic) is a method of creating dental restorations at your dental office. These restorations are typically used to repair damage to your tooth (or teeth) from decay or injury. Some dental offices have specialized equipment that allows them to design and create restorations using a computer’s help.

Specifically, restorations are designed and created using CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing). This process means designs are made from impressions with computer software and then passed to a unit that fabricates ceramic restoration.

According to the Journal of Dentistry and Oral Care, CEREC can be used to fabricate:

  • Crowns
  • Inlays and Onlays
  • Fixed bridges
  • Veneers
  • Dental implants
  • Dentures
  • Other orthodontic appliances

CEREC has advantages that can make it a perfect option and Dr. Vargas and Dr. Rueda will provide their expert opinion on whether it’s a good choice for your individual needs.

CEREC typically entails 3 steps:

  1. After numbing and preparing the tooth that requires restoration, we will scan your mouth to take an impression of your mouth.
  2. Our practice is equipped with specialized computer software to design a model of your restoration, custom-made for your teeth and mouth.
  3. The design specifications are relayed to our milling equipment that makes the restoration with a high degree of accuracy and precision and then the restoration is placed in your mouth, and necessary adjustments are made. Finally, the restoration is bonded to your tooth.


Advantages of CEREC

This approach might be especially useful to your needs as it eliminates some of the most inconvenient aspects of oral procedures. For example, creating a crown without CEREC would typically require creating an impression to send out to a laboratory and placing a temporary crown. This process requires waiting for days or weeks and multiple dental visits.

CEREC boasts some incredible advantages:

  • Dental work that typically requires multiple visits can be created and placed in a single appointment. This can be incredibly convenient for many as it limits the disruption to your schedule and the stress of multiple dental visits.
  • The fabrication created by the milling or grinding unit is typically very accurate and allows your dental professional to maintain more control over the process.
  • Completing the permanent restoration in a single appointment avoids the need for temporary solutions. It can be stressful to care for temporary fixes, and you’re more at risk for some dental problems while you have them.

Crowns

A crown is a tooth-shaped cap that is placed over a tooth. It is used to strengthen and protect your tooth structure. We prepare the tooth, take an impression and the crown is made in our practice.

Bridges

A dental bridge “bridges” the gap where there are missing teeth. A bridge has a crown on each end as an anchor with an artificial tooth or teeth connecting the crowns and filling the space. A bridge can keep your other teeth from moving out of place. Once a bridge is placed, it works just like your natural teeth.