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972-636-4522

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972-381-1888

5132 Village Creek Drive Plano, TX 75093

Plano, TX, Dental Office Technology

When you receive care at Texas Dental, you can be assured that our doctors and their staff utilize the latest in technology to enhance the quality and fit for your dental care. Learn more about our advanced technologies for precision dentistry.

Our Technology in Plano, TX

Dental Office Technology in Plano, TX

We offer a wide variety of dental technology in our office:

Digital Imaging

Our office carefully chooses which and when radiographs are taken. There are many guidelines that we follow. Radiographs allow us to see everything we cannot see with our own eyes. Radiographs enable us to detect cavities in between your teeth, determine bone level, and analyze the health of your bone. We can also examine the roots and nerves of teeth, diagnose lesions such as cysts or tumors, and assess damage when trauma occurs.

Dental radiographs are invaluable aids in diagnosing, treating, and maintaining dental health. Exposure time for dental radiographs 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 your understanding of your diagnosis. An Intraoral Camera is a very small camera – sometimes just a few millimeters long. An Intraoral Camera allows our practice to view clear, precise images of your mouth, teeth, and gums, for us 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!

Intraoral cameras also enable our practice to save your images in our office computer to provide a permanent record of treatments. These images can be printed for you, other specialists, and your lab or insurance companies.

The Digital 3D CT Scanner

Our practice utilizes state-of-the-art, small-volume cone-beam CT (computed tomography) technology that provides highly accurate, 3-D radiographic 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, enabling anatomical accuracy and patient care not possible with 2-D 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 is designed to connect to Invisalign, restorative and orthodontic labs, custom implant abutments, chairside milling, and CAD/CAM systems. It is the easiest and most comfortable way to get a great model of your smile.

CEREC

CEREC is an advanced dental restorative system that allows your dentist to restore decayed teeth, place crowns, 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…in, out, and on with your busy life.

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 is all a thing of the past!

The CEREC Procedure

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 excavating 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.

1.2 billion of these metal fillings will need to be replaced in the next ten years. CEREC is a method used by thousands of dentists worldwide since 1987 to replace these fillings and restore 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!

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. Instead of filling a tray with impression “goop” that you must bite into and hold 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 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, your dentist clicks a button, and the restoration design data is sent to a separate milling machine in the office. A ceramic block that matches your tooth shade is placed in the milling machine. About 10 – 20 minutes later, your all-ceramic, tooth-colored restoration is finished and ready to bond in place.

Finally, your dentist tries the restoration in your mouth to ensure proper fit and bite. The restoration is then polished and bonded to the prepared tooth. Your tooth is restored with no “temporary” or return trip necessary. All of this is done in a single appointment! Ask us about CEREC today.

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 are used close in composition to your natural tooth structure.

CEREC is an advanced dental restorative system that allows your dentist to restore decayed teeth, place crowns, 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…in, out, and on with your busy life.

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. This picture is used instead of a traditional impression. This means no impression tray and material for you to gag on.

The computer and CEREC 3D software convert the digital picture to a three-dimensional virtual model of your prepped tooth. Your 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: crowns, inlays (fillings), onlays (partial crowns), and teeth veneers. Once your dentist has designed your restoration (usually about 5 minutes), he or she clicks a button, and the design data is communicated via a wireless radio signal to the CEREC Milling Unit.

CEREC Milling Unit

Your dentist or dental assistant selects a ceramic block that matches the shade of the tooth being repaired. He or she then inserts the block into the Milling Unit. The data from the Acquisition Unit is used to direct 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.

What is CEREC Used For?

There are multiple uses for CEREC technology: 

CEREC Inlay Restoration

Patients with amalgam fillings often exhibit amalgam breakdowns and damage to the tooth structure as 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, CEREC onlays are placed 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 up to three appointments. 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. Veneers, or thin laminates of tooth-colored porcelain, are bonded 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, multiple inlays and onlays can be fabricated, bonded, polished, and installed 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 AMALGAM COMPOSITE PORCELAIN FUSED TO METAL LAB-FABRICATED CERAMIC
SINGLE VISIT YES YES YES NO NO
NO IMPRESSION MATERIALS YES YES YES NO NO
NO TEMPORARY YES YES YES NO NO
METAL FREE YES NO YES NO YES
LOOKS & FEELS LIKE REAL TEETH YES NO NO MAYBE MAYBE
ESTHETIC YES NO YES MAYBE YES
SAVES NATURAL TOOTH STRUCTURE YES NO NO NO MAYBE
RESTORES TO ORIGINAL STRENGTH YES NO NO MAYBE MAYBE
PERMANENT SOLUTION YES MAYBE NO YES YES

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? Even just 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 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, fast digital scan obtained in just a few minutes through a series of photographic images taken in the mouth. 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, making your crown, veneer, or filling virtually undetectable. The elimination of impressions, temporaries, and second appointments enhances the entire dental experience for our patients. As an added bonus, many of our patients love watching their new tooth come to life in the milling unit right before their eyes!

The E4D Dentist® system was created by D4D Technologies LLC, headquartered in Richardson, TX. In 2013, D4D Technologies LLC changed its name to E4D Technologies LLC. For more information, please refer to the E4D Technologies Website, www.e4d.com.

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.