In my ideal professional world as a general dentist, my dentistry would never cause tooth sensitivity, never lead to further dental procedures, and never need to be replaced. Now as much of a dream as that statement may sound, there are some major advances in dentistry that are leading us toward that goal. This new and advancing science-based dentistry is called Biomimetic Dentistry.
At the core of Biomimetic Dentistry is the goal of only removing the damaged or decayed areas of a tooth while preserving every bit of healthy tooth structure that remains. Through several new techniques and dental materials, the tooth is then rebuilt using a customized design plan and advanced bonding that ties the tooth back together. The term ‘biomimetic’ means to mimic life. This biomimetic dental restoration is carefully bonded to the tooth in a manner where it actually behaves similar to your natural tooth structure. Doing dentistry this way has many advantages which include being gentler on the tooth, sealing out bacteria from entering the tooth, reducing or eliminating post-operative dental pain, preserving the health of the dental pulp (keeping the tooth alive thereby reducing fractures and root canals), and delivering a long lasting, highly esthetic and functional restoration.
What fuels my passion for biomimetic dentistry is the idea of being the most conservative dentist I can be while doing dentistry far better than I ever imagined. This swing toward conservative care starts with trying to prevent problems from ever occurring. Preventative dentistry has been around a long time but now there are many new tools we have to boost our preventative care for both young and old. For those situations where we need to replace old dental restorations or place an initial restoration, a minimally invasive approach can be done. Even severely damaged teeth which would traditionally require extraction can be saved and without a traditional crown. If done successfully, biomimetic dentistry will greatly increase the longevity of a tooth, and hopefully eliminate future cycles of retreatment. A scientific study that came out in 2015 revealed the younger generations will have much higher percentages living into their 90s and even 100s. As we expect to maintain a high quality of life and have longevity, it will be necessary to develop (and implement) ways of preserving our own natural teeth.
–Dr. Brad Perrett
