Dr. Carolina Steier

Procedures

Dental Crowns

Crowns :: A crown is used to cap or completely cover a tooth

Crown refers to the restoration of teeth using materials that are fabricated by indirect methods which are cemented into place. A crown is used to cap or completely cover a tooth. Traditionally, the teeth to be crowned are prepared by a dentist and records are given to a dental technician to fabricate the crown or bridge, which can then be inserted at a subsequent dental appointment.

The main advantages of the indirect method of tooth restoration include:

fabrication of the restoration without the need for having the patient in the chair
the utilization of materials that require special fabrication methods, such as casting
the use of materials that require intense heat to be processed into a restoration, such as gold and porcelain.

Boca Dental Implants

dental implant is an artificial tooth root replacement and is used in prosthetic dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth. There are several types of dental implants. The major classifications are divided into osseointegrated implant and the fibrointegrated implant. Earlier implants, such as the subperiosteal implant and the blade implant were usually fibrointegrated. The most widely accepted and successful implant today is the osseointegrated implant, based on the discovery by Swedish Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark that titanium can be successfully fused into bone when osteoblasts grow on and into the rough surface of the implanted titanium. This forms a structural and functional connection between the living bone and the implant. A variation on the implant procedure is the implant-supported bridge, or implant-supported denture.

Porcelain Veneers

hen using veneers, the teeth's appearance can be changed with minimal tooth preparation (e.g. drilling). Many veneer procedures can be done with the use of little or no local anesthetic. Traditionally, a reduction of approximately 0.5 mm is required for a porcelain veneer. Composite veneers are becoming more popular as they are easy to repair, whereas porcelain veneers have potential to fracture. It can be very difficult to match the shade of an individual veneer to the remaining teeth, hence placing several veneers is common.

Dental Bridges / Partial Dentures

bridge, also known as a fixed partial denture, is a dental restoration used to replace a missing tooth by joining permanently to adjacent teeth or dental implants. There are different types of bridges, depending on how they are fabricated and the way they anchor to the adjacent teeth.

Conventionally, bridges are made using the indirect method of restoration however, bridges can be fabricated directly in the mouth using such materials as composite resin. A dental bridge is fabricated by reducing the teeth on either side of the missing tooth or teeth by a preparation pattern determined by the location of the teeth and by the material from which the bridge is fabricated. In other words, the abutment teeth are reduced in size to accommodate the material to be used to restore the size and shape of the original teeth in a correct alignment and contact with the opposing teeth.

Tooth Whitening

ooth whitening, also known as Dental bleaching, is a common procedure in general dentistry but most especially in the field of cosmetic dentistry. Many people consider white teeth to be an attractive feature of a smile. A child's deciduous teeth are generally whiter than the adult teeth that follow. As a person ages the adult teeth often become darker due to changes in the mineral structure of the tooth, as the enamel becomes less porous.

Teeth can also become stained by bacterial pigments, foodstuffs and tobacco. Certain antibiotic medications (like tetracycline) can also lead to teeth stains or a reduction in the brilliance of the enamel. There are two methods to whiten teeth: bleaching gel and laser bleaching. Traditionally, at-home whitening is done with bleaching gel which is applied to the teeth using thin guard trays. Oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide are utilized to lighten the shade of the tooth. The oxidizing agent penetrates the porosities in the rod-like crystal structure of enamel and oxidizes interprismatic stain deposits; over a period of time, the dentin layer, lying underneath the enamel, is also bleached. Laser bleaching utilizes light energy to accelerate the process of bleaching in a dental office.

Extreme Makeover