Who Doesn’t Want Less Dental Work? It’s Possible with Biomimetic Dentistry

When you look at your teeth in the mirror or in a photo, it can be hard to realize that each one of them is a living organ. All you see is the hard, white outer enamel.

That enamel protects the living tissues within – the softer layer of dentin that surrounds the pulp and the pulp itself, full of blood vessels, nerves, and more (possibly even lymph vessels, although this remains a matter of some debate).

The dentin also provides the infrastructure for each tooth’s circulatory system. It’s made of miles of microscopic tubules through which fluid flows, carrying nutrients throughout the tooth. Nerve endings extend into the dentin, as well, delivering sensory information. So do tiny extensions of cells called odontoblasts, which are responsible for producing new dentin.

The aliveness of each tooth is one big reason why we’re so cautious about overtreatment. “Once you drill on a tooth,” says Dr. T, “you’re married to the dentist.” At some point, retreatment will be needed.

Yet each procedure that’s done on a tooth traumatizes the pulp. Too many repeat procedures, and the pulp can die. A dead pulp reduces your treatment options to two: a root canal, which we don’t recommend, or extraction.

While good, biocompatible materials are available today that can safely and effectively replace missing teeth, no replacement is ever as good as the real thing – not in looks, not in strength, not in function.

That’s why, at Green City Dental, we take a conservative, minimally invasive approach to dental restorations. If decay is just on the surface, ozone or micro air abrasion may be enough to treat it. If it’s broken through to the dentin, then we need to determine the best type of restoration for the cavity. Always, we want to keep as much natural tooth structure as possible.

Sometimes, that’s a composite (tooth-colored) filling; sometimes an inlay or onlay; sometimes a crown. The question is: Which solution best meets this patient’s needs while best respecting the integrity of their natural teeth?

Our commitment to this is why we often refer to the kind of dentistry we do as “make-sense dentistry”: We do what makes sense for each patient’s needs, driven by a biomimetic approach.

As its name suggests, biomimetic dentistry aims to mimic (mimetic) life (bio). More than just filling or capping a tooth, we aim to build damaged teeth back to their natural strength and function.

And it’s the subject of one of our most recent episodes of Your Mouth Matters, in which our three doctors take a deep dive into its techniques, why they’re needed, and how it can mean less dental work for you in the long run.