Biomimetic Dentistry
Biomimetic Dentistry is a principle of preserving as much of the natural tooth’s strength and integrity as possible while repairing damaged teeth. It also involves using a new generation of bioactive materials that more closely mimic natural tooth properties, and do not contain BPA, BisGMA, TED-GMA, UDMA or other similar chemicals.
Many of the materials used in the past were not able to bond to tooth structure. They served to physically fill holes, but often the decay or the process to place a filling really damaged the integrity of the tooth. Large amalgam fillings can disconnect the cusps of a tooth, and opposing teeth can hammer these weakened cusps like an axe wedge, breaking off cusps and cracking teeth by putting them under tension.
Traditional full crowns are made from strong materials, but the amount of tooth that has to be sacrificed to fit a full crown can leave the patient with a strong crown on a weak foundation. The nerve can be compromised as well due to the healthy tooth structure that has to be removed for a crown.
When we do Biomimetic dentistry, we only remove the absolute minimum of healthy structure. We rebuild and reinforce the remaining tooth with materials that bond to them and release ions similar to the tooth itself to help harden the tooth and prevent future decay. This is done using engineering principles to keep the tooth under compression, as the natural tooth does. We even use Kevlar reinforcement and other materials that can add strength in thin layers. We can use these techniques now for medium to fairly large fillings, with great results.
Cracked tooth weakened by old amalgam.
Amalgam removed- you can see all the cracks.
Tooth cleaned out and prepared for bonding.
Tooth repaired and strengthened.
If a tooth is heavily broken down or heavily filled, resins can be used but inlays or crowns are better choices. Here’s why:
Very large resins are difficult and time-consuming to place. If the filling is very large a crown is the restoration of choice.
Some people are sensitive to the chemicals in resins, even the special biomimetic ones we use.
Ceramic Onlays
For more information on onlays, please visit our page on Restorative Dentistry.