Your Tooth is Only as Strong as Its Bond
One of the foundational components of biomimetic dentistry is the emphasis on bond strength. When a restoration is properly bonded, it ensures that the restorative materials and your natural tooth can work as a team.
Biomimetic dentistry came from the idea of adhesive dentistry, that you could secure a restoration with adhesion rather than retention. Adhesive dentistry helped conserve tooth structure compared to the older methods used in retentive restorations, but neither option was able to support a tooth’s function. The restorative material and the natural tooth were moving in different ways with every chew, which could lead to cracks, decay and failed fillings. By mimicking a tooth’s natural bond to itself (biomimetic dentistry) you can solve this problem.
Teeth are made up of enamel (the strong outer coating) and dentin (the resilient inside). This means that when a dentist is fixing a tooth, they need to use techniques and materials that account for bonding to multiple types of substrates within your tooth (think: That one wall in your home that nothing sticks to. You don’t want that to be your restored tooth!). Mimicking a natural bond uses advanced techniques and a knowledge of how to bond to these different areas of your tooth to make sure your tooth stays bonded.
Going back to long-lasting bonds, they are important for a number of reasons:
When a restoration isn’t bonded, that leaves a gap where bacteria can get under your restoration and cause more decay. This means you may lose more tooth structure and put your tooth at risk of death.
When your healthy tooth isn’t bonded to itself or its restoration, it will bend and flex more than normal when you chew. This makes it susceptible to cracks.
Gaps under poorly bonded restorations cause pain and sensitivity when chewing. A proper bond eliminates this discomfort.
When we say long-lasting, we mean long-lasting. Biomimetic restorations are lasting 20 years and counting with no signs of re-decay, which means once your tooth is fixed it stays fixed.
Like with creating any bond, good strong bonds (minimum of five minutes for the biobase) take time. If you have ever painted a wall in your home, you know there are two routes you can take:
Just paint over the wall. It won’t look as nice or last as long, but it looks like a freshly painted wall at least for a short time. Or,
Patch, sand, clean, prime and paint the correct number of coats with ample drying time in between. It takes longer, but the final product is higher quality and will prevent chips and peeling.
The same is true with dentistry. At the Alleman Center, we only offer the option that ensures your restoration has the strongest bonds that mimic a natural tooth because we know that extra time at the dentist now means a healthier smile for life.
You might still have questions.
How long does a biomimetic restoration take? Short answer: We usually set aside two hours for diagnostic and treatment appointments. Before your appointment, we will ask a few questions about any symptoms you have been experiencing and treatment history to help us get an idea of what might be causing your discomfort. If you have questions at any time, contact us at office@allemancenter.com or (801) 717-9860.
What is the difference between minimally invasive dentistry and biomimetic dentistry? Short answer: Biomimetic dentistry is minimally invasive, but minimally invasive dentistry isn’t necessarily biomimetic. Our goal at the Alleman Center is to conserve your healthy tooth structure before we proceed with the biomimetic techniques we use to restore your tooth.
We’ll write about these topics and more in future blog posts, or we’re happy to talk about the work we do any time. Reach out at office@allemancenter.com or (801) 717-9860 any time, or ask Dr. Alleman at your next appointment.
