The main reasons for broken and fractured teeth include aging or incorrect fillings, bad bite, grinding/clenching or eating very hard food on a weak portion of your tooth or filling.

Several solutions include:

Cosmetic contouring is a cost-effective and minimally invasive way to repair small chips or fractures in teeth

If the cavity left by the removed decay or filling isn't too large, composite resin can provide a cosmetically appealing filling alternative, particularly in lower back teeth that show when you smile or laugh.

Tooth-colored composite resin offers a conservative but esthetic approach to filling cavities. A composite filling may be the best option if you:

• Are getting a small filling in an area that is visible during smiling or talking
• Want to keep cost and time of treatment to a minimum
• Are willing to accept an option with reduced longevity and resistance to wear and staining
• Want to keep as much of your existing tooth structure as possible

Inlays and onlays are particular types of fillings made of composite resin, porcelain, or gold. An inlay is custom-made to fit the prepared cavity, while an onlay covers the entire chewing surface of the tooth. The primary disadvantage of inlays and onlays is their higher cost relative to traditional composite and amalgam fillings.

Inlays and onlays are durable alternatives for restoring large cavities. An inlay or onlay may be the best option if you:

• Don't mind spending more time and money to get a long-lasting result
• Have a large cavity to be filled
• Want to avoid staining

Gold

doesn't discolor or stain the teeth and has a longer life expectancy than silver. It can be placed esthetically into upper back teeth ere it doesn't show; however, it shouldn't be placed opposite porcelain, because porcelain tends to wear gold rapidly during chewing.

Porcelain

Research shows that bonded porcelain inlays and onlays can equal the strength of natural teeth, making them particularly attractive choices when both esthetics and strength are required. However, extra stress can fracture porcelain just as it can natural teeth.

Composite resin

Although not as long lasting as gold or porcelain, composite resin inlays and onlays are an esthetic and less expensive option.

Porcelain veneers are a highly esthetic option for restoring front teeth. However, they are more expensive than composite fillings and require reduction of natural tooth structure. Porcelain veneers may be the best option if you:

• Have front teeth with extensive decay or old fillings that are discolored
• Would like to close minor spaces between your front teeth
• Are frustrated by fillings that continue to stain or are too visible
• Want a smile makeover that will improve tooth shape and brighten tooth color

Crowns represent a long-lasting treatment alternative involving reducing the tooth and covering the remainder with a custom-made restoration. Although it's always preferable to preserve the structure of the natural tooth, if a tooth is severely decayed or stained following the removal of a large filling, placing a crown may be the best option.

Crowns can produce near-perfect esthetic results. However, both the cost and the number of office visits required may make this treatment prohibitive for some patients. Crowns may be the best option if you:

• Have extensive decay and/or severe staining following the removal of a large filling
• Are looking for the most beautiful, long-lasting result possible
• Are willing to undergo more extensive treatment and incur higher costs
• Have additional esthetic or functional concerns that can be best addressed with crowns

Ceramic Inlay/Onlay of a tooth is a fantastic solution for restoring decayed, broken or a previously filled tooth.

Clinical studies indicate exceptionally high success rates for CEREC restorations.

The CEREC 3D technology enables patients to have treatment in a single stress free appointment. CEREC is capable of producing any single tooth restoration, whether it is an inlay, crown or veneer.

A CEREC parital crown produced at the chairside stabilizes the remaining tooth and largely conserves the healthy tooth structure. Today, there is over 10 years of clinical experience with CEREC. 5,000 users, already trust in adhesive bonding and the special properties of CEREC-ceramics.

CEREC restorations can be made and fitted at the chairside. This saves on the hygiene costs of the second session. And your patients gain too: no impressions; no temporaries! Fascinating treatment with an excellent result about which patients are bound to tell their friends, acquaintances and relatives.

Although in some cases cosmetic contouring is an ideal treatment by itself, it also can be useful in conjunction with most other esthetic procedures. For example, if you are having one or more of your teeth treated with bonding, veneers, or crowns, your dentist can cosmetically contour adjacent or opposing teeth to create a more attractive and harmonious smile line. Also, cosmetic contouring often is used as a final touch following orthodontic treatment.

Veneers

Although bonding is a quicker and more cost-effective treatment alternative than porcelain veneers, if your adjacent teeth have been rebuilt in porcelain, your fractured tooth should be restored in porcelain. The fractured tooth will match the adjacent teeth more closely because the same material has been used. Porcelain veneers or crowns may also be a preferred option if there are multiple teeth to be restored.

Luminears

The main difference is that Lumineers are made from a special patented cerinate porcelain that is very strong but much thinner than traditional laboratory-fabricated veneers. Their thickness is comparable to contact lenses, and so they are often called contact lenses for your teeth. The main advantage of these ultra-thin veneers is that minimal tooth preparation is required. In other words, very little - if any - of your natural tooth structure needs to be removed through shaving or grinding prior to bonding the Lumineers over your natural teeth. As a result, the procedure is often reversible, since your natural tooth structure is left intact, unlike traditional veneers, where a significant amount of your tooth structure may need to be removed.

Lumineers are so versatile that they can be placed over existing crown and bridge work, without the need to replace them. They are the perfect solution for stained, chipped, discoloured or slightly misaligned teeth.

Crowns offer an esthetic solution when little tooth structure remains following a fracture. Crowns may be the best option if you:

• Have lost too much tooth structure to allow contouring or bonding
• Are willing and able to spend more time and money on the procedure
• Want an esthetic solution that allows change in tooth shade and shape

If you fracture a front tooth so badly that there is little tooth structure left, a crown is probably the treatment of choice. If a back tooth fractures, it also may be best to restore it with a crown. The procedure should be performed immediately, especially if the pulp is exposed and living nerves are unprotected.

With CEREC you become flexible. For example, by using a thin CEREC veneer with an individually colored undersurface, the surface contour and texture can be modified chairside. Why not give it a try and see just how easy it is to grind and polish CEREC ceramics?

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