Metal restorations are effective means of treating a variety of oral health concerns, but the material may not be safe for everyone. Plus, your restoration definitely stands out against the rest of your smile. For a more holistic and natural-looking dental repair, we could offer metal-free dentistry. In today’s blog, your Lake Orion, MI, dentist talks about how we help smiles with metal-free restorations, such as lifelike fillings and crowns, and even replacement teeth!
The Benefits of Biocompatible Dental Care
Our team wants to ensure that the dental care you receive makes you feel good about the appearance of your smile. We also want to prevent damage or weakened enamel from causing painful cavities and infections, which could otherwise threaten the health and function of your smile, as well as your overall appearance. With a biocompatible approach, we use metal-free materials to return function, health, and beauty to your smile, sometimes in as little as one visit. These are also safe for people of all ages! Many metal restorations contain traces of mercury, which makes them problematic for young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with metal allergies. But with a metal-free approach, we can provide improvement that blends with your smile and is safe for kids and adults alike!
Fillings
When you have a cavity, this could start as minor tooth sensitivity, but eventually grows severe enough to cause infection or abscess, threatening smile stability and increasing discomfort. Even if your child has a cavity in a baby tooth, treatment is necessary to avoid infection and premature tooth loss, which could otherwise cause misalignment and other complications. For treatment that is safe for all ages, we use fillings made from composite resin. This metal-free material blends acrylic and quartz-like particles, which we can shade to blend with your teeth. We apply this to the tooth after we remove decay and ken the tooth. We then sculpt the composite resin as it cures beneath a light. The last step is to polish the tooth for a brighter appearance. A lifelike repair in only one visit!
Crowns
Did you know that dental crowns can be placed in a single visit too? With the CEREC system, we use CAD/CAM technology to design and craft a restoration that fits comfortably, keeps your bite properly balanced, and offers years of quality repair. To begin, we simply numb the tooth and remove structure to make room for the crown. We take detailed digital images to create an impressions, and then we upload the information into an onsite milling machine, which crafts the core from ceramic. We shade it to blend with your smile and attach it with a powerful bonding agent. The resulting restoration looks natural and blends with your smile. We can repair damage, treat advanced decay, correct misshapen teeth and improper balance, and also aid in tooth replacement too!
Bridges
What if you have a missing tooth, or up to three in a row? Then you need a dental bridge. The prosthetic is made from ceramic, and includes new teeth with crowns attached to one or both sides. Using the CEREC system, we can create and place one in a single visit. We attach the crown portions to the abutment teeth, the natural teeth one each side of the gap. This secures the new teeth firmly in place, and your lifelike bridge can last for 10 to 15 years on average, so you can eat your favorite foods and smile with confidence once again.
Dentures
What if you have a more substantial case of tooth loss? If you have multiple gaps in your smile spread out from one another, then you need a partial set of dentures. We also have full dentures if you’re missing most or all of your teeth on one or both arches. These prosthetics are custom-made and contain metal-free ceramic teeth in an acrylic base. These fill the gaps and replace your teeth, so you can smile with confidence once again and enjoy a full smile. They last about 5 to 10 years on average, and we will discuss maintenance to keep them in good shape.
If you have any questions about our approach to metal-free dentistry, or if you’re ready to schedule a visit with our team, then contact our team office today to get started.
Do You Have Questions About Metal-Free Dentistry?
Contact Lake Orion Family Dentistry in Lake Orion, MI by calling 248-693-6213 to schedule your next appointment with our team and learn more about our lifelike and metal-free dental procedure. You can feel proud to show off your newly restored smile!
