This article was written by Dr. Ira Goldberg of Morris County Dental Associates, LLC
As with most things in life, improvement comes with time; Dentistry is no different. Homes become more energy efficient, cell phones become faster and more versatile, and cars are starting to drive themselves! Dentistry has not been left behind, either. We have better materials, dental visits are more comfortable, and services can be performed faster and safer.
One of the best examples of this are dental implants. Dental implants can be used to replace single missing teeth, multiple missing teeth, or even whole mouths of failing or missing teeth. Gone are the days of people having to suffer through repetitive cavities, root canals, gum disease, redoing the work multiple times, and then eventually extracting the tooth. Dental implants are utilized to eliminate these problems.
Traditionally, people expected to need dentures to replace missing or failing teeth. Dental implants can replace existing dentures, stabilize these dentures so they don’t move and hurt, or even eliminate the need for dentures and give people back their non-removable teeth!
CAD-CAM is another technological advance in the field of dentistry. When you need a crown (cap) for a tooth, laboratories are now utilizing computers to help design the crowns (CAD=Computer Aided Design) and then robots are fabricating the crowns (CAM=Computer Aided Manufacturing). The fit of these crowns is outstanding, and obviously a fantastic benefit for patients.
CAD-CAM is also utilized with implants. When dentists place implants, we traditionally depend upon our experience and skill to accomplish this task. We can now utilize special software to plan out the exact position of implants, and robots can fabricate custom guides so we can place the implants right where we want them. The benefit to the patient is a faster and safer procedure with less pain & swelling. The overall success of the implants is greater, too, when these protocols are followed.
Dentures have also benefitted by CAD-CAM technology. They now fit tighter than ever, and can be milled from one solid piece of material. This is important because they become more fracture resistant, and there’s less of a chance of losing a tooth. One great feature of a CAD-CAM denture is the ability to get an exact duplicate via a phone call: you don’t have to go to the dentist for another series of impressions and appointments.
Dental x-rays have advanced tremendously. Understandably, patients are always concerned with the amount of radiation they are exposed to. Today we utilize digital films, as opposed to films that required chemical development. These digital films use 90% less radiation than the older films. Using a real-world example, a full set of standard films (approximately 18 to 22 pictures) was equivalent to standing outside in a summer sun for one hour or taking a flight across the U.S. Taking the same set of films in a digital format exposes you to just 1/10 of that amount of radiation!
3-D imaging has made its way into dentistry. This has become an invaluable tool in implant dentistry and orthodontics. In the past we were limited to viewing anatomy in 2-Dimensions, but now we can see exactly what the bone and teeth look like from a whole new angle. This allows surgical procedures to be safer, as well as both surgery and tooth movement to be more predictable with better outcomes.
Another surgical advance in dentistry is something called PRF. PRF stands for Platelet Rick Fibrin. In a nutshell, the dentist draws your blood, spins it in a centrifuge, concentrates the platelets, and puts them back into your body when a bone graft or gum graft are performed. This process helps to decrease pain and swelling, as well as help with healing.
Sedation dentistry is another advance in the dental field. Many patients develop anxiety even thinking about the dental office. Nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) is used regularly, but we now have alternatives for very phobic patients. Pills can be taken by mouth to help relax patients further, as well as provide amnesia (lack of remembering the dental procedure). This can be taken one step further, and patients can be sedated by anesthesiologists right in the dental office!
Whitening is a constantly evolving service provided by dentists. There are lots of ways to whiten your teeth, and barely a day goes by without seeing a TV or magazine ad. These products keep getting better and better. Sensitivity is one of the biggest side effects people experience, but there are a few systems out there that do a great job with reducing this risk.
Almost everyone has heard about stem cells. But did you know that they play a part in dentistry? Again, on the surgical side of things, stem cells are used when bone grafts are needed. They help to make the grafts more successful and more predictable. There is also early science being developed where teeth are actually being grown in petri dishes in the lab! How exciting it would be to be able to regrow your own tooth at some point in the future.
Dental materials are always evolving. Although amalgam fillings (silver fillings) are still used occasionally in dentistry, the white fillings (known as composites) are used almost exclusively. These materials have come a long way. The early fillings didn’t blend so well, would wear down quickly, and oftentimes people experienced sensitivity. The white fillings we currently use don’t wear greatly, have little to no sensitivity, and blend so well its hard to detect a filling!
What I have attempted to show in this article is how technology has allowed dentistry to advance over time. Procedures have become more successful, measured by patient comfort, safety, options. There’s no doubt it will continue to evolve, and its exciting to see what the future will hold.