Air Abrasion from Dr. Carmen Is a Comfortable, Conservative Alternative to Drilling

November 18, 2011

For some patients, what’s aggravating about a trip to the dentist isn’t getting a shot or having to hold their mouths open, it’s the drill, whether the whiny sound it makes, the smoky smell it produces, or the vibrations it causes.

That’s why, in many cases, Dr. Carmen’s Norman office uses air abrasion instead of a traditional dental drill. While a traditional dental drill uses a needle to remove decay or prepare a tooth for a filling, air abrasion uses a high-pressure stream of aluminum oxide particles.

What that means for patients is a quieter, more comfortable experience that works for adults and children alike. Dr. Carmen may even be able to complete your appointment without using an anesthetic.

But there’s one more benefit of air abrasion to consider, and that is that air abrasion is a conservative approach. What that means is that air abrasion lets Dr. Carmen preserve more of your natural tooth structure. This benefits your oral health, as the more of your natural tooth structure we’re able to preserve, the longer you can enjoy your natural smile.

Want to Find Out More About Air Abrasion?

If you have questions for us about air abrasion or would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Carmen, call our Norman office today. We serve patients from Norman, Moore, the University of Oklahoma, Central Oklahoma, and surrounding areas.

Dr. Carmen’s Office Also Mills Inlays and Onlays in One Visit with CEREC

November 4, 2011

If you know anything about CEREC, you know that with a CEREC machine, Dr. Carmen can mill brand new, all-porcelain crowns in about one hour. But what you may not know is that we can do more with CEREC than just crowns. Our CEREC machine also lets us mill inlays and onlays.

What Are Inlays and Onlays?

Like crowns, inlays and onlays are used to restore teeth damaged by decay or other kinds of damage. But here’s the difference. While a crown restores an entire tooth, inlays and onlays are designed to specifically for situations where a crown would be overkill, but a filling wouldn’t be enough.

More specifically, inlays are used to restore the space in between a tooth’s cusps, which are tooth’s curved edges, while onlays actually fit over one or more cusp.

Because we can mill them right in our Norman office, only one visit is required to complete your procedure. And, because inlays and onlays let you retain more of your natural tooth structure than a filling would, they can actually help you prolong the life of your tooth.

Want To Know More About Inlays and Onlays from Dr. Carmen?

Call our Norman office to schedule a consultation visit with Dr. Carmen. He’d be happy to answer any questions you might have about an inlay/onlay procedure, or any of our other services.

Get in touch with us today! We serve patients from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Moore, Central Oklahoma, and beyond.