Biomimetic Dentistry: Transforming Smiles with the Beauty of Natural Teeth

Within dentistry, a number of pioneering doctors are reshaping practices.

Like them, I’ve felt uneasy about traditional methods, particularly when reducing healthy teeth for crowns.

And I, like these dentists, would get home from work feeling guilty after cutting a tooth down for a dental crown.

I felt I was robbing my patients of healthy natural teeth structure to fit a crown over their tooth (rather than just replacing what was missing), but this had been taught in traditional dentistry.

When I stumbled upon Biomimetic Dentistry for the first time (on Instagram, of all places), I was elated! I fell down the rabbit hole of ultra-conservative modern dentistry built to last a lifetime.

If you haven’t heard of Biomimetic Dentistry, prepare to be amazed, my friend.

Biomimetic dentistry is the most exciting advancement that has happened in dentistry in decades.

So, join me in this short but eye-opening venture into the future of modern dentistry.

Time for a change

Traditional dentistry is OLD, it has a lot of problems and hasn’t changed much in the past couple of decades.

Biomimetic dentistry is by far the most advanced form of restorative dentistry today for keeping the natural tooth structure.

If it’s so good, why haven’t I heard about it?

A lot of reasons. As you know, it takes a while for the latest advances in medicine to become the standard of care.

I’m a truth seeker and early adopter and I can’t wait for the day when all my dental colleagues join me.

Now, let’s see how Biomimetic dentistry is different.

How is biomimetic dentistry different from traditional dentistry?

Once you go Biomimetic, you’ll never go back!

There are three main ways that Biomimetic dentistry is different from traditional dentistry.

#1 Better dental materials

Biomimetic dentistry means “to imitate biology.” And that is literally what it does.

In traditional dentistry, dental crowns are very hard, much harder than your natural tooth, and don’t flex and move like your tooth should.

You would think that’s a good thing, right?

Unfortunately, it’s not. This puts extra stress on the tooth, leading to cracks and unnecessary dental work down the road.

When crowns fail, they fail catastrophically, leading to root canal treatments or extractions.

Traditional dental fillings shrink and cause microcracks around the outside of the filling, leading to sensitivity and more decay under the filling.

In biomimetic dentistry, systems and materials have been created to imitate the different parts of a tooth and how each one functions under use.

For example, dentin (the middle layer of your tooth) is replaced with composite material that functions like dentin, and enamel (the outer layer of your tooth) is replaced with ceramic or composite that functions like enamel.

This prevents:

• shrinking,
• sensitivity,
• recurrent decay underneath dental work,
• cracks.

This technique has been shown to produce long-lasting results.

#2 Biomimetic Dentistry is Less invasive

This is what led to the invention of biomimetic dentistry.

The goal is to remove as little tooth structure as possible and restore the tooth to its original function.

No form of dentistry is more respectful to the biology of your teeth and surrounding gum tissue than biomimetic dentistry.

The best dentistry is the least amount of dentistry.

We can avoid the pain of recurrent decay and treatment by removing as little tooth structure as necessary and using the best materials and techniques to rebuild the tooth.

For example, the only time I would place a crown on a tooth is if the tooth had a crown previously that failed.

To put a crown on a tooth, all the healthy tooth structure that remains on the outside of the tooth has to be cut off.

This is totally unnecessary!

Instead, I would place an inlay or an onlay with biomimetic bonding, only replacing the decayed part of the tooth and leaving everything else untouched.

Nothing a dentist puts in your mouth will ever be as good as your original tooth structure because the human body is incredible. We want to preserve as much of that precious tooth structure as possible!

#3 Biomimetic Dentistry uses better bonding

In traditional dentistry, the material used to fill a cavity shrinks over time, creating micro gaps around the outside of the filling.

Shrinkage exposes the very sensitive dentin.

Then the bad bacteria can sneak in those gaps and you get recurrent decay around that filling!

Biomimetic dentistry solves that problem by preventing shrinking around the filling. So no recurrent decay and no sensitivity!

Biomimetic dentistry uses a chemical bond to seal off the tooth and attach the replacement tooth material, this is called Immediate Dentin Sealing which is not used in traditional dentistry.

This bonding protocol also reduces or eliminates sensitivity because the materials cure the proper amount of time, and therefore, do not shrink.

Because biomimetic dentistry restores teeth to their original form and function, you can expect the restorations to:

• last longer,
• nearly eliminate post-treatment sensitivity,
• prevent tooth decay.

A final review of the high points

Here are the main reasons why Biomimetic Dentistry is the best form of restorative dentistry:

• Only removes the decayed or compromised portion of the tooth and leaves healthy tooth structure intact.
• Replace damaged teeth structure with materials that flex and function like your teeth are supposed to.
• Biomimetic materials absorb force in a way that preserves the rest of your tooth.
• If restoration does fail, biomimetic dentistry is designed to protect the tooth (kind of like a modern car crumpling to protect its occupants).
• Biomimetic dentistry provides long-term results and solves underlying issues.

I will never stop talking about how incredible biomimetic dentistry is, and I would love for you to see the difference firsthand by visiting our dental office in Meridian, Idaho.

If you are ready to improve your dental care and join our Restoration Dentistry family, contact our front desk at (208) 229 1500 to make an appointment!

Or:

• Call us at (208) 229 1500
• Email us at hello@restorationdentistryid.com

We welcome MeridianThis link opens a new tab to Google Maps residents to our practice. But we serve a much larger area. It includes Eagle, Garden City, Kuna, Nampa, Boise, Caldwell, and Emmett.