Metal-Free Fillings, Crowns, and Bridges

Gone are the days of old, ugly silver-mercury amalgam fillings. Dr. Ebrahimian said goodbye to this outdated material over 20 years ago and now provides the latest in esthetic, bonded, tooth-colored dentistry.

There are a number of advantages to metal-free fillings, crowns, and bridges:

  • Preserve more natural tooth structure.
  • Safely restore teeth to their original shape and function.
  • Strengthen teeth, rather than wedging them apart as silver-mercury amalgam does.
  • Bonded to teeth to provide a seal, rather than just packed into place, like silver-mercury.

These restorations can help protect your health as they restore your teeth!

Fillings

A filling is a way to restore tooth structure after a cavity has been diagnosed. Composite tooth-colored filling material is placed in the tooth where the decay has been removed and bonded into place.

Although a cavity might not seem serious at first, there are a number of reasons why you should restore your tooth with a filling. A tooth-colored filling can:

  • Restore a tooth to help you chew comfortably.
  • Preserve remaining tooth structure, including the root.
  • Protect your tooth from infection and further damage.
  • Make the tooth look whole and natural once more.

A filling is a vital service that we provide to our patients every day!

Crowns

Dental crowns are restorations used to protect your teeth. For instance, crowns can be placed after a root canal procedure, to secure a dental bridge, or complete the dental implant process with an implant crown.

This type of restoration covers the entire tooth above the gum line. The crown is designed to cover your tooth, so it fits comfortably and fully protects your tooth from further decay, chipping, or fractures.

Placing a crown involves removing any decayed or damaged portion of your tooth. In rare occasions, when your treatment calls for a gold or lab-fabricated crown due to specific bite issues, an impression is taken that is sent to the lab that will fabricate your new crown.

In the meantime, a temporary crown is cemented onto the prepared tooth. A second appointment is scheduled. Once your new crown arrives from the lab, we remove the temporary crown and bond the permanent crown into place.

This process typically involves two visits, unless you take advantage of our CEREC CAD/CAM technology that can design and create porcelain crowns in one visit.

Convenient Restorations!

Your metal-free crowns can even be done in one visit! Using CEREC CAD-CAM technology, Drs. Ebrahimian are able to make your crown in the office. This eliminates the need for temporary crowns and second appointments for cementation.

Dental Bridges

Missing teeth can affect how you bite and chew, and they may cause you to feel self-conscious about your smile. A dental bridge may be a viable option for replacing a missing tooth and restoring your smile.

What Is a Dental Bridge?

A bridge is one solid unit that looks like three separate teeth that bridges the gap of the middle missing tooth. Commonly referred to as a three unit bridge, if there are three teeth involved, this bridge will have dental crowns that fit over the teeth that are on either side of your missing tooth, with a prosthetic dental crown in the middle.

The prosthetic tooth is called a pontic, and it can be made from gold, alloys, porcelain, or a combination of these materials. Dental bridges are supported by natural teeth that are crowned; we can also support a bridge with dental implants.

In either case, the bridge is permanently placed, providing you with a restored functional bite and a beautiful smile.

What Are the Benefits of Dental Bridges?

Dental bridges have many benefits. They can help restore your smile and your confidence.

Dental bridges restore the ability to properly chew and speak. Replacing your missing tooth, or teeth, with dental bridges will maintain the shape of your face.

By restoring missing teeth with a dental bridge it can help to distribute the forces more evenly throughout your bite for less wear and tear. Dental bridges can also help prevent remaining teeth from drifting out of position.

Why Should I Replace My Missing Teeth?

Teeth play a significant role in our lives from proper speech and pronunciation to aiding us in eating a nutritious diet. Replacing missing teeth also helps us to maintain an even bite to avoid jaw joint disorders as well as helping to complete our smiles.

Teeth can even help us to maintain our youthful appearance as we age by filling out the space in our cheeks and supporting the lip line to maintain a fuller appearance.

Missing teeth can contribute to a host of health issues such as poor nutrition, TMD (a jaw joint disorder), headaches or migraines, pain while chewing, and even embarrassment about your smile. Once problematic teeth are extracted, other teeth can begin to shift out of alignment or descend into the opposing space.

What Should I Expect During a Dental Bridge Procedure?

The dentist will prepare your teeth where the bridge will be attached. Impressions of your teeth are made and sent to a lab where your metal-free dental custom bridge is specially made for you.

You will have a temporary dental bridge made in our office that you will wear while your permanent bridge is being hand-crafted by the lab. You will later return to have your permanent bridge placed.

When the procedure is complete, it will appear as though you have beautiful, natural-looking teeth again! With proper care and maintenance, a bridge can last you for years, providing you with a beautiful smile that makes you proud.

Metal-Free Restorations in Scotts Valley

To explore tooth restoration options, contact Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry today at (831) 438-4411 and schedule a consultation. We welcome patients from Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, and Scotts Valley, California.