Cosmetic Dentistry

At Pacer Dental we know that confidence comes from having a perfect smile.

Dr. Hughes and his staff are the pros when it comes to cosmetic dentistry – just ask his patients! Great cosmetic dentistry can only be obtained with experience, technology, and an artistic eye for each individual, a combination that Dr. Hughes is proud to offer his patients.

The highly experienced dentists and friendly staff at Pacer Dental provide a full range of cosmetic and restorative dentistry services, including whitening and bleaching, same day porcelain fillings and crowns, porcelain veneers, tooth-colored fillings, and a wide variety of crowns, bridges and dental implants. With as little as one trip, you can start your journey toward a happier, healthier smile.

Restorative Dentistry and Restorations

Pacer Dental is committed to providing our patients with healthy and beautiful teeth. Restorative dentistry can help improve the appearance and overall health of your smile after experiencing tooth loss or damage from disease, injury or other causes. It is important to seek proper treatment for lost or damaged teeth in order to prevent further damage and relieve difficulties with eating or speaking. There are several restorative options available to patients depending upon your overall health, our recommendations, and personal preference.

Dental Implants | Partial Dentures | Dental Crowns | Columbus Some of the restorative treatment options available include:

Full and partial dentures
Crowns and bridges
Dental implants
Mini dental implants
Inlays and onlays
White composite fillings
Amalgam(silver fillings)
Full mouth reconstruction

Dr. Hughes and his staff are fully trained and experienced to replace lost or damaged teeth with the restorative treatment that best suits your needs. We will discuss the differences between these treatments with you and help you decide which option is best for you. We perform all of our restorative services with the highest level of care to help you improve the health and appearance of your smile.

Please feel free to call us and schedule a consultation to learn more about our restorative procedures.

Restorations

Dental restorations are procedures to repair a damaged or decayed tooth. Types of restorations can include, but are not limited to, fillings, crowns, bridges, veneers, inlays, onlays, implants, partial dentures and dentures. Restorations can be made from a number of different materials, including amalgam (silver), composite resin (white), ionomers, metal alloys, porcelain, and porcelain-fused-to-metal.

The type of dental restoration that you may require is ultimately determined by the recommendations of Dr. Hughes. Dental restorations, however, are available in such a wide range, that health, financial, and esthetic concerns can all be considered in order to find the restoration that is right for you.

The longevity of a dental restoration depends on many factors, including the patient’s health, dental hygiene, type of restoration, and its location in the mouth. Dental restorations generally require the same type of care as natural teeth. However, it is typically recommended that patients avoid placing unnecessary stress on the restoration, as restorations can chip, break, come loose, or become stained.

CEREC 3

CEREC 3 (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics) is a revolutionary system that allows Dr. Hughes to design, create and fit a new crown, veneer, onlay or inlay in a single visit. This procedure would normally take up to three weeks.

The multi-instrument CEREC 3 system consists of an infrared digital camera, a computer with 3-D imaging software, and a milling unit with diamond blades for quick, precise, and highly detailed construction of restorations. Developed by Sirona Dental Systems, CEREC 3 is the third model of CEREC, representing marked improvements in design and function over previous models.

How CEREC 3 Technology Works

CEREC 3 Technology Columbus Dr. Hughes will prepare your tooth in the normal fashion before fitting a crown or a veneer. At this point, instead of using dental putty to take an impression of your tooth, he will take a digital picture using the CEREC 3 camera. Using CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing) technology, the CEREC 3 software converts this picture to a 3-D virtual model of your prepared tooth. This image is used as a guide to design your new restoration.

Once Dr. Hughes is happy with the virtual tooth, the data is sent to an on-site CEREC 3 milling unit, which fabricates your new tooth from a high-quality ceramic block. These blocks come in a wide variety of shades and colors and are selected to match your surrounding teeth. The process usually takes less than 20 minutes.

After the milling is finished, Dr. Hughes will polish the filling or crown and bond it into place in your mouth.

The Benefits of CEREC 3

There are several advantages to CEREC 3 restorations over conventional laboratory-made restorations:

Single-Appointment Dental Care – With CEREC 3, you only need to visit the dentist once, instead of the usual two or three visits required with conventional restoration procedures.
Complete Control by Your Dentist – Since the restoration is designed and fabricated from start to finish by Dr. Hughes, he has complete control over how it will look and fit. By contrast, a crown made in a laboratory is under the control of a technician who has never seen the patient.
No Temporary Restorations – Conventional restoration procedures require you to wear temporary restorations while the laboratory makes your new restoration. Temporary restorations can fall off or cause other problems. CEREC 3 eliminates this inconvenience.
Fine Materials – CEREC 3 uses strong, tooth-colored ceramic materials to restore your teeth to their natural strength, beauty, and function. Not only do they look like the rest of your teeth, these materials closely match the composition of your natural tooth structure, allowing you to eat hot and cold foods without worrying about your tooth cracking from the extreme temperatures.