Plano, TX, Dental Office Technology

At Texas Dental, our dentists will use the latest technology to enhance the quality of your dental care. We use digital x-rays, intraoral cameras, CEREC, and more to ensure that you receive the best treatment possible. Our advanced technology allows us to provide precise, efficient, and comfortable dental care for our patients. We strive to stay at the forefront of dental innovation to give you the smile you deserve.

Dental Office Technology in Plano, TX

Learn more about our advanced technologies for precision dentistry. Our dental team uses modern dental technology in the office to make your treatments and procedures comfortable and quick.

Digital Imaging

Our dental office carefully chooses which and when we take X-rays. We follow many guidelines to make sure they are accurate. X-rays allow us to see everything we cannot see with our own eyes. X-rays enable us to detect cavities in between your teeth, determine bone density, and analyze the health of your mouth.

We can also examine the roots and nerves of teeth, diagnose lesions such as cysts or tumors, and assess damage when trauma occurs. Dental X-rays are invaluable aids in diagnosing, treating, and maintaining dental health. Exposure time for dental X-rays is extremely minimal.

Our dentists utilize Digital Imaging Technologies within the office. Digital imaging can also help us retrieve valuable diagnostic information. We may be able to see cavities better. Digital imaging allows us to store patient images and quickly and easily transfer them to specialists or insurance companies.

Intraoral Camera

Many patients, especially younger patients, are familiar with the latest technology and comfortable with the high-tech practice. Computers and TV screens are their primary method of information processing.

Our dentists utilize Intraoral Camera technology that helps enhance our understanding of your diagnosis. An Intraoral Camera is a small camera that’s sometimes just a few millimeters long. An Intraoral Camera allows our practice to view clear images of your mouth, teeth, and gums. We will be able to make a diagnosis accurately.

With clear, defined, enlarged images, you see details that standard mirror examinations may miss. This can mean faster diagnosis with less chair time for you. We can print these images for you, other specialists, and your lab or insurance companies.

The Digital 3D CT Scanner

Our practice uses small-volume cone-beam CT (computed tomography) technology. The CT scanner provides highly-accurate 3D images for the diagnosis, planning, and treatment of endodontic disease. This allows three-dimensional visualization of teeth, bone, sinuses, and surrounding structures with minimal radiation to the patient. It enables anatomical accuracy and patient care not possible with 2D technologies (regular dental x-rays).

iTero Scanner

Our iTero scanner is an Industry-leading imaging scanner that lets you view images in 3D! No more messy impressions when you are starting Invisalign or same-day crowns.

A small wand glides over your teeth and gums and takes pictures of your entire mouth. The iTero scanner captures 6,000 frames per second and lets you see what the doctor sees. The images instantly appear on the screen in color so you and the doctor can discuss your findings immediately!

iTero connects to Invisalign software, restorative and orthodontic labs, custom implant abutments, chairside milling, and CAD/CAM systems. It’s the easiest and most comfortable way to get a great model of your smile.

CEREC

CEREC is an advanced dental restorative system. CEREC allows our dentist to restore decayed teeth, and place crowns in one visit. We can also remove defective amalgam fillings or place cosmetic veneers in just one appointment. This allows you to have the highest quality, most lifelike dental restorations in just one visit to the dentist.

E4D

Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology have been revolutionizing many industries, including dentistry. Remember when it used to take two separate appointments to get a dental crown? Even a few years ago, patients had to endure mouthfuls of messy impression materials and wear temporaries for weeks. Now, with our E4D Dentist® system, it’s all a thing of the past.

The CEREC Procedure

Let’s face it, few of us have perfect teeth that are free of decay and fillings. You can probably see a filling or two in your own mouth right now. In many cases, those fillings consist of metal and can weaken the tooth, or get additional decay around it.

CEREC is a method that thousands of dentists use worldwide (since 1987) to replace these fillings. We can restore any decayed, weakened, and broken tooth to its natural strength and beauty. Best of all, CEREC uses all-ceramic materials that are tooth-colored in a single appointment.

Exam and Preparation for CEREC

First, we will examine the tooth and determines the appropriate treatment. It could be a simple filling, or a full crown, depending on how much healthy tooth structure remains and your dentist’s clinical judgment. Next, he or she administers an anesthetic and prepares your tooth for 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. No more filling a tray with impression “goop” that you must bite into and hold in your mouth until it hardens.

Our dentist coats the tooth with a non-toxic, tasteless powder. Then, we use a camera to take a digital picture of your tooth. This whole Optical Impression process takes only a minute or two.

No Temporaries

Next, the CEREC machine helps us create restoration for your tooth. The CEREC 3D software converts the digital picture into a 3-dimensional virtual model on the computer screen. He or she then uses dental expertise to design the restoration using the CEREC 3D computer program.

Within a few minutes, the design data goes to a separate milling machine in the office. The technician places a ceramic block that matches your tooth shade in the milling machine. About 10 to 20 minutes later, your all-ceramic, tooth-colored restoration is complete and ready to bond in place.

Finally, our dentist tries the restoration in your mouth to ensure proper fit and bite. They will polish the restoration and bond it to the prepared tooth. You will not need a “temporary” restoration or a return trip to our dental office. All of this is complete in a single appointment.

What is CEREC? CEREC is an acronym…

• Chairside: The technology is in the dental operatory and used while you are in the chair
• Economical: The procedure is economical for both dentist and patient
• Restorations: The procedure restores your tooth to its natural beauty, function, and strength
• Esthetic: The restorations are metal-free and tooth-colored
• Ceramic: High-strength ceramics that are close in composition to your natural tooth structure.

CEREC Acquisition Unit

The CEREC Acquisition Unit is mobile and houses a medical-grade computer and the CEREC camera. Your dentist uses the camera to picture your prepared tooth digitally, instead of a traditional impression. This means no impression tray and material for you to gag on. The CEREC 3D software convert the digital picture to a three-dimensional virtual model of your prepped tooth.

Our dentist then designs your restoration on screen using the software while you wait and watch. This software can assist your dentist with designing any single tooth restoration. Restorations such as dental crowns, inlays (fillings), onlays (partial crowns), and porcelain veneers. After our dentist designs your restoration, they send the design data to the CEREC Milling Unit.

CEREC Milling Unit

Our dentist or dental assistant selects a ceramic block that matches the shade of the affected tooth. He or she then inserts the block into the Milling Unit. The data from the Acquisition Unit directs two diamond-coated burs to carve the block into the indicated shape of the restoration.

This process usually takes 8 to 18 minutes, depending on the size and type of restoration. After the milling, your dentist polishes the finished filling or crown and bonds it into place in your mouth.

What is CEREC For?

We have multiple uses for CEREC technology. We can use it to create inlays, onlays, same-day crowns, and porcelain veneers.

CEREC Inlay Restoration

Patients with amalgam fillings often exhibit amalgam breakdowns and damage to the tooth structure. Recurrent decay creates stress fractures on the enamel. Unlike most laboratory-created crowns, CEREC inlay restorations stabilize the tooth’s integrity.

CEREC materials ensure maximum bond strength and enhance appearance, resulting in your desired smile. CEREC inlay restorations form a smooth, tooth-colored replacement of dental material lost to cavities. Using ultramodern CAD/CAM technology, CEREC inlays exactly mimic your tooth’s color and structure.

CEREC Onlay Restorations

Silver amalgam restorations regularly result in unsightly crowns and the necessity of replacement over time from recurrent decay. Rather than replace the old amalgam, we place CEREC onlays on the tooth to retain the original structure and create a more natural look. Onlays, or partial crowns, are more extensive than inlays, covering the tooth surface bumps. The enamel-like material of CEREC mimics the appearance and feel of real teeth.

CEREC Crowns

Patients who lose fillings often need replacement crowns, which can take three appointments to get. CEREC, however, mirrors the appearance and feel of a normal tooth and only requires one visit to install. Crowns, or tooth-shaped caps placed over teeth, restore the damaged tooth to its original shape, strength, size, or appearance. CEREC crowns preserve a healthy tooth structure while restoring your natural smile.

CEREC Veneers

Teeth repaired with compacted composite material often break down, resulting in chipped teeth. CEREC veneers correct the incisal length and angle, restoring the tooth to its original appearance in only one visit. The dentist bonds veneers to the front of teeth, covering the front surface and improving appearance. The veneers produced by CEREC are custom-designed for each tooth to provide an exact match.

Multiple Restorations

In the past, patients with multiple failed restorations typically required several appointments to achieve a full restoration. With CEREC, however, we can fabricate, bond, polish, and install multiple inlays and onlays at once. CEREC technology completes multiple restorations in one visit, resulting in a beautiful smile in a fraction of the time.

CEREC Benefits

How does CEREC compare to other restorative materials?

CEREC® is a registered trademark of Sirona Dental Systems.

Same-Day Dentistry with E4D Dentist®

Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology have been revolutionizing many industries, including dentistry. Remember when it used to take two separate appointments to get a dental crown? Patients had to endure mouthfuls of messy impression materials and wear temporaries for weeks. Now, with our E4D Dentist® system, it is all a thing of the past.

In only one appointment, our doctors can complete beautiful restorations like crowns, inlays, onlays, and veneers in-office.

Benefits of Computer-aided restorations for our patients:

• Safe and simple procedure
• One appointment
• Advanced laser technology provides absolute precision
• No need for temporary restorations
• No unpleasant or messy impressions

Our E4D Dentist® system allows our doctors to replace conventional impression methods with a clean and fast digital scan in minutes. We can design a custom, permanent restoration by combining this scanned data with our advanced software. A milling unit fabricates your restorative design quickly and conveniently in our dental office.

Your final result is a natural-looking restoration of superior strength that perfectly matches the surrounding teeth. It will make your crown, veneer, or filling virtually undetectable. The elimination of impressions, temporaries, and second appointments enhances the entire dental experience for our patients. As a bonus, many of our patients love watching their new tooth come to life in the milling unit right before their eyes.

Receive High-Quality Dental Care

See what modern technology and high-quality dental care can do for your smile. Call Texas Dental today at 972-636-4522 or request a dental appointment online.