What is CAD/CAM Dentistry?
The term CAD/CAM dentistry is literally a shortening of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) aka "one-visit-crown," in dentistry. The CAD/CAM machine provides the dentist with dental crowns, which are milled from blocks of white composite resin or porcelain, matching the shade of the restored tooth. Once the treated tooth is shaped and prepared, an image is taken of this defected tooth. The image then provides the data for a computer and the software is used to create a porcelain or resin composite piece for the defect, essentially creating a virtual dental crown.
The CAD/CAM dentistry software then sends this virtual data to a milling chamber in the lab where the dental crown is carved out of a solid block of composite resin or porcelain. Our standard of quality, here at Kneib Dentistry, is the highly esthetic, high strength e.Max porcelain ceramic crown. The resultant dental crown can then be adjusted in the patient's mouth and cured/bonded in place. Following acid etching of both the underside of the crown and the topside of the tooth itself (which increases the surface area on both opposing surfaces), composite resin materials are then used to fuse the resultant crown to the tooth, completing the dental crown procedure.
Before One-Visit-Crown
After One-Visit-Crown
Tooth Restoration FAQs
What are silver-mercury fillings?
For over 100 years, dentists have been using silver-mercury amalgam fillings to restore decayed or broken teeth. The only other alternative was gold.
At Kneib Dentistry, there is a new and economical way to restore teeth using tooth-colored resin fillings. The resin is made up of glass particles in a plastic matrix. Dr. Kneib bonds the putty-like material to the tooth with a high-intensity light. This hardens the material and allows it to be shaped and polished for immediate use.
Once completed, your tooth has a natural appearance and is actually stronger than before due to the strength of the adhesive agent used to bond the resin to the tooth. Resin restorations not only look better, but they are stronger and longer lasting than the old silver-amalgam fillings. Resin restorations can range from $150 to $350 per tooth.
What are tooth-colored restorations?
