What Is Biomimetic Dentistry?

When broken down, the word “biomimetic” translates into “mimicking life”. In the world of dentistry, the biomimetic approach revolutionizes the way dentists restore teeth, allowing them to create more life-like recreations of a patient’s natural tooth look, feel, and function. The result is a smile that is healthier and stronger than has never before been possible with more traditional treatment methods.

Repairing The Biomechanical Structure Of Teeth

Traditional dental restoration methods have been the sole focus of creating a restoration that is strong enough to withstand decay or other damage, but unfortunately, this comes at the cost of healthy tooth structure being sacrificed. You can see this clearly in the process of creating a filling, where the dentist clears away the decay, along with a great deal of healthy tooth in order to create a supporting structure designed to enhance the strength of the filling. Then, the tooth is restored using a durable material such as amalgam, gold, or porcelain bonded with metal. While strong, these materials do not come close to the natural look and feel of your teeth.

Biomimetic dentistry changes the game by using a different set of materials to create inlays or onlays that are closer to the biomechanical structure of the tooth, allowing for a stronger bond. The biomimetic approach uses stress-reduced direct composite and porcelain composite, which more closely resemble the natural tooth. Additionally, the inlays and onlays don’t require the shaving down of healthy tooth to form a strong bond.

Biomimetic Dentistry Leads To Less Root Canals

With traditional treatment methods, patients actually get caught in something that is referred to as the “cycle or restoration”. What occurs in this cycle is that certain imperfections in the beginning of the restoration process, such as gaps in fillings and the destroying of healthy tooth structure, lead to more infection and decay. In the future, the patient is more likely to require a root canal and dental implant due to the compromised tooth structure and decay, but it was the initial restoration that sent them down the road in the first place.

With biomimetic dentistry, the change in materials and approach to treatment aims to break the cycle by creating a stronger bond with no imperfections and preserving healthy tooth structure, making for a longer lasting smile overall.

Biomimetic Dentistry Is A Rare, New Practice

The field of dentistry is always evolving, and when some new method or treatment emerges, not all dentists adopt it right away. For biomimetic dentistry, while it makes restoration treatment more effective and provides better long term benefits, the Foundation of Biomimetic Dentistry estimates that only about 3% of dental offices actually use this method at this point, with this number projected to grow as time goes on.

Contact Us For More Information On Biomimetic Dentistry

Concierge Smile Boutique is proud to be one of the few dental practices that currently offers dental restoration using the biomimetic approach, in  our Culver City, CA locations. If you have any questions about biomimetic dentistry and how it changes your dental treatment for the better, just contact us and we’ll be happy to get you all of the information you need. If you’re ready to restore your smile to its past radiance, schedule an appointment with Concierge Smile Boutique today! We look forward to helping you achieve a healthy, beautiful smile that will last a lifetime!