Restorative Dentistry

  • Composite filling

Filling is one of the most common procedures in dental offices.   We do tooth-colored composite filling in our office.  Composite filling is best used to restore small to moderate sized cavities that do not involve tooth cusp(s).    Composite is an aesthetic and durable material that becomes the mainstream filling material in modern dentistry, in place of the silver filling ( amalgam ) used in the past.    The composite brand used in our office is rated top in the composite category by Dr. Gordon Christenson’s Clinicians’ Report, publication of an independent dental research institute which regularly evaluates a myriad of products and recommends the best dental materials and equipment on the market.  The composite we use is also BPA-free, a concern which might be posed by some patients. 

  • CEREC digital impression and in-office milling of the restoration

At the Wilbraham Dental Associates, we have CEREC CAD/CAM machine in the office, an advanced   equipment based on innovative digital technology applied in dentistry.   It’s composed of two parts: digital impression and digital milling.  Digital impression is superior to conventional impression as it’s accurate, immediate and no uncomfortable impression material in your mouth.  The milling portion allows the restorations ( eg. onlay, crown and bridge ) to be made within an hour, no provisional restoration and sending to the lab are needed, which saves you additional trips to the office.  If there’s error found during the try-in, correction can be made immediately, no need for additional trip as well.    The CEREC restorations are found to be in excellent quality made with efficiency of time in mind.  

  • Ceramic onlay  

If your tooth misses cusps or have a defective large filling, instead of doing a new filling or making a crown, sometimes ceramic onlay is the more conservative treatment choice that lasts.   The CEREC CAD/CAM machine in our office can make the ceramic onlay in one visit and restore the full contour of the tooth with a tooth-colored durable material that involves removing as minimal tooth structure as possible during the prepping process.   

  • One-visit ceramic crown

Crown is one of the most common procedures in the dental office.  When tooth loses a bulk of its size, crown instead of filling is necessary to restore its proper anatomy, strength and function.  At the Wilbraham Dental Associates, we have the innovative dental technology CEREC CAD/CAM machine, a crown can be made in one visit with digital impression and in-office milling.  The benefits of CEREC CAD/CAM machine are two folds: one, there’s no gooey impression material in your mouth which are repellent to some patients, the more precise digital impression is taken by a small wand scanning your teeth instead;  two, there’s no lab involved which requires 2 visits to deliver a crown.    The CEREC machine mills the crown in the office which takes about 40 min.     You can have coffee or read a book or magazine during the waiting time.    CEREC-milled crowns are aesthetic and well-fit, tried and true based on our experience since incorporating it in our daily practice years ago.  

  • Ceramic bridge

If you miss one or two teeth, usually implant is the best treatment choice.  However in certain situations, eg. the adjacent teeth have large restorations or implant is not an option financially etc, ceramic fixed bridge can be a treatment alternative that offers an aesthetic, durable and comfortable solution.