Friday, October 29, 2010

Technology in Dentistry Part Two

Restorative materials

Valplast®

Valplast® is a flexible material that is used to create partial dentures. The advantages are less stress on the remaining retainer teeth and no metal that shows. The retentive arms of a partial are made of the pink Valplast® material and can blend in imperceptibly with the gum tissue. The base pink material has a lifetime guarantee against breakage, and is very lightweight and comfortable to wear. Almost all of the partials we now make for patients are Valplast®.

E-max®

E-max® is a DiLithium Silicate material for the fabrication of tooth colored crowns and bridges which exhibits three times the strength of conventional porcelain.  It can be pressed in the lab, or milled in the office on a CAD/CAM system. The strength advantage means less tooth reduction. The excellent color eliminates and  grey metal margins. We routinely use E-max® CAD blocks for our in office CEREC machine.
  
Zirconium 

Zirconium is an extremely strong material which is used for implant connections, crowns, and bridges. The high strength has been used in the past as an understructure for these restorations. Zirconium allows for a metal free restoration and can block out unsightly dark stained teeth perfectly. Recently Zirconium has been reformulated to be used for bruxers and patients with a heavy hard bite. The most popular brands are Lava™ and now Bruxzir®
  
Snap-On Smile™

Snap-On Smile™ is a new technique and polymer that can instantly correct crooked, discolored broken, decayed and missing teeth. The Snap-On Smile™ fits over the existing teeth and can even be worn while eating. We have seen patients who were too embarrassed to smile shed tears of joy when they see the results.

Thin Veneers Lumineers®

Thin Veneers and  Lumineers® are a painless way to transform a smile. These no prep veneers are very strong and can be completed in 2 visits. they can change the shape size and color of your teeth. No shots are needed for most cases and no to minimal tooth preparation is needed. 

Ceramic Orthodontic  Brackets

Ceramic Orthodontic Brackets or clear brackets make orthodontic treatment more tolerable for many self conscious people. Now there are some orthodontic wire companies with a tooth colored orthodontic wire which also helps hide what is going on. Some orthodontists use lingual braces. Now several clear aligner companies like Invisalign® offer orthodontic options.

Advanced Nickel-titanium wires and super-wires for orthodontics
Nickel-titanium wires and super-wires for orthodontics can move teeth more quickly and comfortably. These wires can shorten treatment time significantly.


Advanced Bonding Adhesives

Advanced Bonding Adhesives combine multiple steps and give great strength while reducing sensitivity after restoring a tooth. Bonding adhesives can bond to many different materials. These adhesives have gone through several revolutions since their introduction 30 years ago.

Advanced Color Stable Micro-hybrid Composite Filling Materials

Advanced Color Stable Micro-hybrid Composite Filling Materials have also gone through many revolutions including nano-technology and the incorporation  of multiple filler sizes to enhance strength and polishability as well as color stability.


Low Shrink Composites

Low Shrink Composites allow for simpler filling and less sensitivity after curing. Tooth sensitivity after composite tooth colored fillings due to material shrinkage has been a serious problem. These materials do not shrink like the original materials did and now sensitivity is virtually never seen after fillings are placed.
Low Shrink Flowable Composites
Low Shrink Flowable Composites are used in areas of low stress as they are simple and easy to place.

Titanium Alloy

Titanium Alloy is used for dental implants and copings as well as for bridge and denture support bases. This material is light and strong and can be milled by CAD/CAM systems incorporating extremely precise fit of the restorations.

Your comments are welcome


1 comment:

  1. Advancing dental technologies has been very beneficial for the LA dentists and the patients alike, due to the increase of ways to solve their dental problems.

    Also in my case, I have been using Invisalign that was recommended to me by the Los Angeles cosmetic dentists as an alternative to dental braces.

    ReplyDelete

About Me

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Born in the Midwest. Married with 6 children and 3 grandchildren. Attended Maine West High School, Harper Jr College, Northern Illinois University, the University of Illinois College of Dentistry. Practice in Crystal Lake, Illinois.