Miller, Werrin, Gruendel - Pittsburgh's Leading Dentists Devoted to Excellence

For Patients

Why patients are choosing CEREC

CEREC by Sirona Dental Systems is the world's only system for the fabrication of all ceramic dental restorations in one office visit. With CEREC at your dentist's side, you can be in and out in a single visit with a permanent, all ceramic crown, onlay, or veneer! For you, the patient, this means fewer injections, less drilling, and less time out of your hectic schedule for dental care. So, why are thousands of people world wide choosing the CEREC restorative technique for their dental needs?

Single Appointment Dental Care
Most dental restorative methods require more than one visit to the dentist. This means that on the first visit, you get an injection of anesthesia, your tooth prepared, an impression taken, and a temporary restoration put on your tooth. You make a second appointment for a couple of weeks later, get another injection, have the temporary pried off (if it hasn't fallen off already), and have a permanent restoration put on. Why go to the dentist a second time when you don't have to? With CEREC, the procedure is done in a single appointment, start to finish.

Finest Dental Materials

A CEREC tooth restoration isn't just convenient, it is also healthy. Many years ago, dentists had few options to repair decayed and damaged teeth other than amalgam, gold, and other metals. With CEREC, your dentist can use strong, tooth colored ceramic materials to restore your teeth to their natural strength, beauty, and function. These materials closely match the composition of natural tooth structure. This means when you eat hot food and then drink something cold, the restoration and tooth expand and contract at almost equal rates. So, your tooth does not crack, and you can go on enjoying your evening. Also, the materials are chemically bonded to your tooth, so your dentist can save as much healthy tooth tissue as possible while providing you with a dental restoration that strengthens your tooth.

Smile Enhancement

Your dentist can use CEREC for more than just crowns and fillings. CEREC is capable of producing any single tooth restoration. Chipped or discolored front teeth can be repaired with beautiful CEREC porcelain anterior crowns or veneers. Your smile makes a lasting first impression. Enhance it with CEREC.

Worldwide, a CEREC restoration is placed every 20 seconds. With a history of nearly 20 years, this equipment has helped dentists place over 6 million restorations. Using metal free materials that are the closest to your natural enamel, CEREC gives you the highest quality restorative care. Ask your dentist today about single visit CEREC restorative care!

The CEREC Procedure
Because Your Dentist Values YOUR Time
Let's face it, very few of us have perfect teeth, free of decay and fillings. You can probably see a filling or two in your own mouth, which do just that -- "fill" a cavity, or hole, in your tooth left from the excavation of decayed tooth structure. In many cases, those fillings are made of metal material and can go bad, weaken the tooth, or get additional decay under or around it. In fact, 1.2 billion of these metal fillings will need to be replaced in the next 10 years.* CEREC is a method used by thousands of dentists worldwide since 1987 not only toreplace these fillings, but also torestore any tooth that is decayed, weakened, broken, etc. to its natural strength and beauty. Better yet, it's done with all-ceramic materials that are tooth colored in a single appointment! So, how does the CEREC procedurework?

Exam and Preparation
First, your Dentist examines the tooth and determines the appropriate treatment. It could be a simple filling, or a full crown, depending on how much healthy tooth structure is remaining and the clinical judgement of your Dentist. Next, he or she administers an anesthetic andprepares your tooth for the restoration, removing decayed and weakened tooth tissue. This preparation is just like he or she would do for many other restorative techniques.

Optical Impression
Then, your Dentist takes an Optical Impression of the prepared tooth. Instead of filling a tray with impression "goop" that you must biteinto andhold in your mouth until it hardens, your Dentist coats the tooth with a non-toxic, tasteless powder. A camera is then used to take a digitalpicture of your tooth. This whole Optical Impression process only takes aminute or two.

Watch a quick video to learn more about CEREC Technology here.

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Specially Trained Dentists Can Treat Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Oral Appliances

We all know snoring can be obnoxious and quite embarrassing. More importantly, though, we need to realize that snoring is often a warning sign of a serious illness called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

Snoring and OSA both occur as a result of breathing passages in the throat collapsing during sleep. Snoring is the sound tissues of the throat produce when breathing passages are partially collapsed. OSA occurs when the airway completely closes and breathing ceases entirely for a period of time. During this time of complete obstruction, no air can be drawn into the lungs and oxygen concentration in the blood falls until the brain stimulates the sleeper to awaken allowing the airway to open again.

Improper breathing and disrupted sleep can lead to very unhealthy consequences. The frequent falls in oxygen have been recently linked in the scientific literature with high blood pressure and increased risk of heart attack and stroke. In addition, the resulting sleep deprivation can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, diabetes, increased appetite and diminished libido as well as increased accidents on the highway and in the workplace.

Now, specially trained dentists can manage snoring and OSA with small plastic oral appliances (similar to an orthodontic retainer) that can be used during sleep to keep the breathing passages open. Research over the past 15 years has proven that oral appliances are effective in resolving snoring and treating OSA in many people. The oral appliances function by gently holding the lower jaw forward which opens the breathing passages during sleep. Alternative treatments include Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and surgery.

Dr. Robert Rogers has recently joined our practice with an exclusive focus in dental sleep medicine (the management of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea). He has been treating patients with custom oral appliances since 1991 in conjunction with area sleep physicians. Dr. Rogers is the founding president of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, is well published in the professional literature and is board certified by the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. He is available for free consultations for those with snoring and OSA problems or those who cannot tolerate CPAP. Please call this office to schedule an appointment.

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