Restorative Dentistry
Composite Fillings
We are proud to be a mercury-free dental office, which means that we do not place any silver, or amalgam, fillings. If you are in need of restoring a cavity, or if an old filing has failed and is in need of replacement, composite (white) filling material will be used to restore your tooth. With a significant amount of research & development dedicated to composite fillings, they have proven to be just as strong and long-lasting (and less toxic!) as amalgam fillings.
Inlays & Onlays
Unlike composite fillings, these restorations are made of porcelain. If you have a large failing filling or have broken a cusp off a back tooth, inlays and onlays are a great option. They are a conservative alternative to a full-coverage crown because they allow us to prepare the tooth in such a way that preserves natural tooth structure, but also allows us to rebuild a significant amount of lost tooth structure with porcelain, which is much stronger than composite.
What to Expect:
- 1.5-3 hours
- Dental Arts on Essex offers CEREC dental technology! Our CEREC machines make it possible to fabricate porcelain inlays and onlays in one simple visit! Traditionally, porcelain dental treatment would require messy impressions and weeks to months of waiting in temporaries for your final restoration. Thankfully, those days are behind us! In just a few hours, you’ll walk out with a beautiful, healthy, new tooth. For more detail on the science of CEREC dentistry, please explore our technology section.
Crown & Bridge
Crowns are restorations that completely cover the tooth. We often recommend full-coverage crowns if your tooth has already broken, has signs of cracks or is near breaking, or if a filling has broken beyond repair with just a new filling. Are you missing a tooth and interested in replacing it? Bridges allow us to replace a missing tooth, or in some cases, a couple of missing teeth! Bridges span the space where the tooth is missing and is permanently cemented so that you do not have to take it in and out. By preparing the two teeth on either side of open space, we can use them as anchors to support a 3-unit restoration. This restoration covers the prepared teeth and is attached to a floating tooth in the middle, called a pontic, which replaces the missing tooth. We can achieve beautiful, natural results with bridges, however, be sure to discuss your options for implant dentistry with our doctors as well!What to Expect:
- 1.5-3 hours
- Our awesome CEREC dental technology allows us to complete full-coverage crowns in just 2 hours! You no longer need to worry about pesky temporary crowns falling off or breaking at the most inconvenient times. After your tooth is comfortably prepared for the crown, we will use our intraoral scanner to take a mold of the tooth. We will then fabricate the crown in our in-house lab. A significant amount of your appointment consists of “down time” while we are working our magic in the lab on your gorgeous new crown! We welcome our patients to bring something to read or keep themselves entertained during this visit!
