High Tech Dentistry
I had to have a very old cavity repaired, and I was hoping to have it completed before the tooth had some failure requiring an implant (which I have had: and do not recommend). The doctor offered a same-day crown. I have many crowns, and it always requires the placement of a temporary tooth until the permanent one comes back from the lab. Then a bunch of fine-tuning to get the correct fit. This is two weeks of stress hoping that it does not come off (which it always does).
The procedure was simple, but I was amazed at how modern the dentists’ tool set is now.
- Started with a Digital X-ray and novocaine.
- Then clean the area with UltraSonic pick prior to any work.
- 3D Scan of the tooth before any work is done.
- Then drilling and shaping of that tooth with the cavity.
- A portion of my cavity was under the gum, which required a Laser1 to remove a tiny portion of the soft tissue.
- Second 3D scan of the remaining portion of the tooth.
- Scans were sent to the inhouse Dental C&C Milling machine.
Total time: 90 minutes
I was asked to come back three hours later. I arrived when they asked me to. The crown was dry-fitted for accuracy and was PERFECT. Permanent dental cement was added as I was finished. By far one of the easiest and most impressive procedures I have ever had.
Total time: 15 minutes
Too easy to make a Dr. Evil joke here - but sadly there were no sharks]↩︎