Dental Implants

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Dental implants may be an option for people who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason. Dental Implants can be used to replace a single tooth and then restoring it with a crown or to replace several teeth and then restore it with an implant-supported bridge. You can also replace all of your teeth with an implant-supported full bridge or full denture.

WHO CAN GET AN IMPLANT?

If you have lost a tooth or several teeth, you are a candidate for implants. The ideal candidate for a dental implant is in good general and oral health. Adequate bone in your jaw is needed to support the implant, and the best candidates have healthy gum tissues that are free of periodontal disease.

THE PROCEDURE

This procedure is a team effort between you, your dentist and your maxillo-facial surgeon. Your surgeon and dentist will consult with you to determine where and how your implant should be placed. Depending on your specific condition and the type of implant chosen, the team will create a treatment plan tailored to meet your needs.

The implant procedure can be summarised as:

1. Determining the need for implant and referral to Maxillo-facial Surgeon.

During your appointment with us, we may realise your need for dental implants. At this time, we may refer you to a reputable Maxillo-facial Surgeon, that has extensive experience in Implantology, for the surgical part of the procedure – which is placing the implant into the jaw. All implant cases are done with a multidisciplinary approach, ensuring the best possible outcome for the patient.

2. Initial appointment with the Maxillo-facial Surgeon

The Maxillo-facial surgeon will take several x-rays, study models and sometimes a cone beam 3D scan of your jaw to determine the health of the bone and underlying tissues.

3. Implant placement:

The implant is inserted under local anaesthesia, conscious sedation or in theatre. A Tempory restoration or a temporary partial denture, may be used in the front of your mouth to ensure a natural looking smile.

4. Healing:

The healing phase can/may last up to 3 months, depending on your specific situation.

5. Crown placement:

After the healing is complete and the surgeon is satisfied that the implant has integrated sufficiently with the bone, the implant is exposed to the oral cavity by the maxillo-facial surgeon, and you are referred back to us to do the restorative part of your implant; in other words,the crown, bridge or denture is going to carry.

Back with us, we will take the necessary impressions and measurements for the crown/bridge or denture, which is then manufactured by the dental laboratory.

6. Aftercare:

Implants require special care afterwards, and regular cleanings. Cleaning visits should be scheduled every 6 months.

CLEANING IMPLANTS

Several types of cleaning aids are used to clean dental implants, and your dentist will also provide you with special instructions. The implants need special care, as the metal surface can easily be scratched which allows the surface to harbour harmful bacteria that could cause inflammation of the tissues around the implant.

It is very important to have a professional cleaning done at least every 6 months.

Any natural teeth you have must be cleaned thoroughly with a toothbrush with tapered bristles to reach under the gum line. In-between-teeth-cleaning should be accomplished with either interdental brushes or special dental floss/superfloss.

Soft picks are ideal for implants, as they have soft, rubber tips and will not scratch implants. Metal objects such as pipe cleaners, safety pins, hard brushes, or paper clips may permanently scratch the dental implant, which then allows the implant to harbour bacteria and may cause infection of the tissues surrounding the implant. Please also stay away from toothpicks! They spell bad news in ANY mouth!

If the implant prosthesis is removable, it will also need to be cleaned daily with a soft toothbrush.

Cerec

Restorations with CEREC

The Advantages of CAD/CAM technology

The procedure

The benefits of CEREC Bluecam

Outstanding restorations with full contour zirconia

CEREC DENTISTRY

Welcome to the world of CEREC dentistry. CEREC is an acronym, which stands for CEramic REConstruction A world where impressions do not exist. Forget about temporary crowns, inlays, onlays or fillings. You will get your metal-free, porcelain restoration on the same day of the appointment, in fact, the restoration will be milled right in front of your eyes with the help of computerized 3D-technology. You can even have a smile-makeover in a day and walk out of the surgery with a confident, beautiful smile. You can also say goodbye to all those old metal fillings. Even the large silver fillings can be replaced by durable CEREC porcelain.

What is #CEREC actually?

Esthetic ceramic crowns or partial crowns in a single visit. Ask your dentist about CEREC. Learn more: http://www.onlyonevisit.com/

Posted by Dentsply Sirona on Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Restorations with CEREC

Thanks to CEREC, we can provide our patients with inlays, onlays, crowns and veneers, and now bridges, in only one appointment!

The CEREC CAD/CAM system has been on the market for a good 30 years now and over 250 scientific studies have confirmed the clinical safety of tried and tested CEREC tooth restorations. Worldwide, more than 30 million tooth restorations have been produced with CEREC. Further clinical studies reveal that the success rate of CEREC restorations is 95.5 percent following a period of nine years and 84 percent after 18 years.

The Advantages of CAD/CAM technology:

Impression free dentistry
No temporary restorations
No follow-up second appointment
Metal-free restorations, biocompatible dentistry
Aesthetically pleasing and durable results

30 years of CAD/CAM experience

CEREC looks back at 30 years of use in dental practices for a wide variety of indications and has been proven a million times over. Over 250 clinical tests – including long-term studies conducted for a period of up to 18 years – prove the excellence of CEREC restorations. In brief: CEREC is an ongoing success story.

THE PROCEDURE

A single tooth CEREC usually takes about 90-120 minutes. A good portion of that time is spent designing, milling and glazing the restoration. If multiple restorations are being made, then more time is required.

We first numb the tooth and prepare the tooth accordingly. We will then commence with scanning.

1. Scanning made easy with our CEREC Bluecam

Easy operation, tried-and-tested Bluecam technology and rapid single image acquisition. Countless users worldwide use the CEREC AC and CEREC Bluecam on a daily basis. With the aid of theCEREC Bluecam we can scan powdered tooth surfaces in just a few seconds. This camera delivers outstanding precision and efficiency, and is particularly suitable for single-tooth restorations.

The benefits of CEREC Bluecam

High precision, proven thousands of times in clinical practice
Easy to operate
Rapid acquisition of powder-coated surfaces

2. DESIGNING THE RESTORATION WITH CEREC Software

We make use of the CEREC software to design the crown on the digital models created from the scan and send the information to the milling unit when we are satisfied with what we have created.

Clinical case from Dr. Todd Ehrlich, Austin, USA

3.Milling your Restoration with CEREC

In only a few minutes, the CEREC milling unit will mill your restoration right in front of you, and deliver 100% precise results –meaning a durable, safe restoration that also meet the highest aesthetic standards, and extremely precise, giving the restorations smooth surfaces, smooth margins, and very fine fissures.

Wet grinding with CEREC: Slow Motion Video

NEW: We now also do outstanding restorations also with full contour zirconia.

Zirconia is a high-performance material in great demand, which CEREC combines with a workflow optimally suited to the material. And thanks to our brand new CEREC Speedfire Sintering Furnace, we can now also provide you with Zirconium Crowns and Bridges

4. Sinter and Glaze with CEREC SpeedFire
Full zirconia restorations are sintered and glazed chairside in the compact CEREC SpeedFire. CEREC SpeedFire is the smallest and fastest sintering furnace on the market and can sinter a crown in typically 10–15 minutes.

If required, a glaze can be applied with the CEREC SpeedGlaze that can be fired in just a few minutes in the CEREC SpeedFire. Then the restoration is ready to be placed into the patient’s mouth.

“CEREC SpeedFire It is the only dental furnace on the market that combines the sintering and glazing processes in one device.”

After the restoration comes out of the mill, it is adjusted, bonded into the tooth, and polished. A CEREC inlay, onlay or crown is a very durable and long lasting restoration, which will provide you with many years of trouble free service.

Aside from convenience, there are several advantages to having these procedures done in a single visit. Single visit restorations eliminate the need for additional appointments and injections, and your tooth doesn’t need to have a temporary restoration for two weeks. Temporary restorations can fall out and leak, which can lead to subsequent complications.

Dental procedures are traumatic to teeth, and eliminating a second appointment reduces the amount of stress put on a tooth.

Crowns and Bridges

Different types of crowns

Gold crowns

Ceramic crowns

Zirconia crown

Bridges

Crowns and Bridges

Crowns are tooth-shaped caps which fit over your teeth. Crowns can be used over teeth with large heavily filled, blackened or root-filled teeth. They can also be used cosmetically to improve the appearance of your front teeth.

Your dentist can tell you which of your teeth would best be protected by crowns before problems develop. Crowns provide strong, attractive, long term protection for your mouth.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF CROWNS

PORCELAIN FUSED TO METAL DENTAL CROWN (PMF)

A PFM crown consists of a metal structure covering the tooth, with porcelain fused onto it. The metal can cause a black line that is visible on the tooth, as well as darkening of the gums. The porcelain can also chip off, leaving the metal covering exposed.

These type of crowns are very outdated and rarely used in our practice, due to the availability of better and more aesthetic options on the market, that does not incorporate the use of metal anymore.

GOLD CROWNS

Gold crowns had their place before the availability of zirconium crowns and was used posteriorly and anteriorly for their strength and anterior for their “aesthetic” value, or today still is a sign of status under certain populations.

CERAMIC CROWNS

The Ceramic dental crown is considered to be the best inclusion in dental crown technology. It is an all-ceramic crown which provides the best appearance by complimenting the natural teeth. It has an appealing translucent colour and is highly durable with extra strength, so it lasts longer.

ZIRCONIA CROWN

Zirconium oxide is a high-performance material in great demand. It has a high degree of flexural strength and is biocompatible, allowing tooth-conserving preparations for fully anatomical restorations.

NEW: We now also do outstanding restorations also with full contour zirconia.

CEREC makes fully anatomical zirconium oxide restorations in a single visit possible – making restorations easier, faster, and more economical than ever! 

Thanks to our brand new CEREC Speedfire Sintering Furnace, we can now also provide you with Zirconium Crowns and Bridges.

Bridges

Bridges are inserted when one or more natural teeth are missing. These are artificial teeth which are joined to the existing natural teeth to mimic the appearance and function of a full set of natural teeth.

THE PROCEDURE

First your dentist will reduce the size of the existing filling and tooth to make room for the new crown, and then take an impression which is sent to a dental technician. Sometimes the filling in the tooth to be crowned is completely removed to check for decay and to rebuild the tooth for increased strength.  Your dentist will fit a temporary crown to cover your tooth until the permanent crown has been made by a dental technician. Once your permanent crown is ready, your dentist will check the fit and appearance before cementing it in place.

If your crown is made via CEREC, a digital scan will be taken and your crown designed and milled while you wait, and fitted the same day! (Read more on CEREC).

Very Important!

Please take note that according to the HPCSA (Health Professions Council of South Africa) the procedure of preparing and placing crowns and bridges is very specialized and falls only within the scope of practice of a qualified dentist or Prosthodontist. It should not be performed by an oral Hygienist or a Dental Therapist, since it DOES NOT form part of their scope of practice!

Please report any person performing unauthorized Crown and Bridge work directly to the HPCSA on their website.

ROOT CANAL THERAPY

What is root canal therapy?

The procedure – how is it done?

Pain

Toothache is one of the worst pains that one can experience and the best one can do is to avoid it in the first place by preventing tooth decay with good oral hygiene. But if you have an abscess or the nerve of the tooth is dead the first thing the Dentist will say is- Root Canal Treatment! Are there alternatives to root canal? Yes, extraction of the tooth! So if you want to keep your tooth and you have severe toothache, then root canal is the only way to go.

WHAT IS ROOT CANAL THERAPY?

Root canal therapy is a treatment used to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or infected.

There is a canal inside the roots of every tooth. These canals contain nerves and blood vessels.

Sometimes, for a number of reasons these nerves and blood vessels may become infected or may just die/necrotise. In both of these cases pain is the result.

Root canal treatment is the removal of the nerves from the canal inside the tooth and then sealing the space that remains, with a sealant which must prevent germs getting from the mouth down into the bone.

Root canal procedures have the reputation of being painful. Actually, most people report that the procedure itself is no more painful than having a filling placed. The discomfort experienced in the period leading up to seeking dental care is truly painful, not the root canal procedure itself.

THE PROCEDURE – HOW IS IT DONE?

Normally root canal treatments are done in more than one appointment. Usually 2 or 3 appointments.

First appointment

This appointment usually takes ± 30 minutes and is often referred to as an emergency root canal, as the aim is only to relieve pain the patient is often experiencing. During this first visit, the pulp of the tooth is removed. The pulp consists of a bundle of nerves and blood vessels and is located in small canals inside the root of your tooth.

Small hand files and rotary instruments are used to remove the nerve bundles and an irrigation solution is used to clean and rinse the debris from the canals.

A medicinal material is then placed inside the tooth, and a durable temporary restoration is placed.

Some pain or discomfort can be expected after this visit, but should be manageable.

There is usually a minimum of 3 to 4 weeks in between the first and second appointment.

Second appointment

On the second appointment, the canals are cleaned out further, and also shaped and widened. This can take some time, and this visit is usually at least 60-90 minutes long. The root canals are then filled with a special filling material, and sealed off.

After a root canal treatment, the tooth tends to become brittle and a crown or overlay is advised on the root canal treated tooth to protect the weakened root structure and restore the tooth.

Look at the diagram above. The first picture shows the tooth with the painful nerve. The second picture shows how the dentist has drilled into the nerve area and removed the nerve leaving an empty canal. The third picture shows the sealant filling the empty canal.

This final step is critical if the treatment is to be successful. Poorly filled or under-filled canals allow germs to move back down the canal and infect the area around the root tip. Your dentist will show the x-ray that he will take to confirm that the canals (there are usually more than one per tooth) are properly sealed.

PAIN

Root canal is often painful because of the condition of the tooth, not because of the procedure. To avoid pain your dentist will perform the emergency treatment first which is quick and the unpleasantness is dulled with an injection. Once the pain has disappeared completely the root canal can be done properly with the minimum of discomfort. An injection is all anyone needs for this procedure.

If you have started with a root canal but haven’t already had the sealing done make sure you get back to the dentist ASAP.

Very Important!

Please take note that according to the HPCSA (Health Professions Council of South Africa) the procedure of Root canal treatment is very specialized and falls only within the scope of practice of a qualified dentist or Endodontist (Root canal specialist). It should not be performed by an oral Hygienist or a Dental Therapist, since it DOES NOT form part of their scope of practice!

Please report any person performing unauthorized Root Canal treatment directly to the HPCSA on their website.