These days, people are leaning more and more towards a natural and healthy lifestyle, a belief which has also extended into the way we care for our teeth. In recent years, biomimetic dentistry has been used to conserve teeth and help keep them strong. In this way, the need for teeth to be crowned or for root canal therapy decreases or is eliminated altogether.Â
By applying this method, dentists can treat fractured or weak teeth as well as decaying teeth while helping to protect them from bacteria and keeping them strong. Furthermore, the techniques that make up biomimetic dentistry are much less expensive compared to conventional dentistry, and it has become appealing to many people.Â
Techniques Used in Traditional Dentistry Involve the Removal of Healthy Tooth StructureÂ
Unfortunately, traditional dentistry techniques require the sacrifice of healthy tooth structure to make way for the desired results of the restoration. This almost always involves destroying a part of the tooth for the needed repair. The idea behind biomimetic dentistry is to follow as closely as possible to how teeth are naturally designed.Â
A tooth will flex in a natural way, and because of this, it’s important to use materials that will behave in a similar manner to restore the tooth. However, conventional dental materials are known to be too stiff and strong; while this may be suitable for tooth replacement, they aren’t ideal for mending teeth. Some materials are so hard that they can wear down the teeth around them from chewing and biting.Â
Biomimetic Dentistry Only Uses Materials That Closely Mimic the Natural Tooth
Thanks to advances in technology, it is now possible to rebuild teeth from materials that closely resemble the tooth’s natural structure. Doing this won’t just preserve the tooth, but it will also ensure that the result will withstand everyday use through biting and chewing food. Through the use of biomimetic techniques, your teeth will look and feel just like the real thing, and as a result, they will have fewer chances of fracturing or needing a root canal treatment.
Today, biomimetic materials are developed to bond with each tooth, so you don’t have to lose any of your healthy tooth structures. Such materials will stick to the remaining tooth structure so strongly that it’s able to seal out bacteria. Because these conservative techniques work so well, they have effectively decreased the need for crowns and other types of restorations that use adhesives that aren’t well-suited to the natural tooth structure.Â
Biomimetic dentistry was created for the conservation and preservation of our teeth. While techniques like root canal therapy have served their purpose in saving teeth, this procedure involves the removal of the pulp, which destroys the nerves and blood supply to the tooth.Â
Even if the tooth can work perfectly without a pulp, its removal will cause the tooth to become brittle and non-vital. Because of this, dentists who practice biomimetic dentistry do their best to avoid a root canal whenever possible and provide patients with a safe and hassle-free procedure with the use of techniques that are less invasive.
