Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
Adhesive, tooth-preserving restoration: what it can and cannot do, when a partial-coverage restoration is discussed, and how to judge a plan.
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
When saving a tooth may require an endodontist or periodontist
Saving a tooth sometimes needs procedures beyond general restorative dentistry. An endodontist treats the inside of the tooth: complex or repeat root canal treatment…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
Can a previous crown be replaced with a more conservative restoration?
Sometimes, in selected cases, but often not. A tooth was shaped all the way around to receive the first crown, so the walls that a smaller restoration would need to bond…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
What to ask about adhesive materials in restorative dentistry
The adhesive is the thin layer that joins a bonded restoration to your tooth: an etching step that prepares enamel and dentin, a bonding agent (resin monomers that flow…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
Why dental restoration margins deserve attention
The margin is the seam where a restoration meets the tooth. It is where plaque collects, where new decay beside a restoration usually begins, and where a bonded or…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
What makes a bonded restoration difficult to maintain?
A bonded restoration depends on an adhesive seal and on the tooth and mouth around it, so the things that make it harder to maintain are mostly about the mouth it sits…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
How to discuss a cracked tooth without jumping straight to extraction
Not always. What decides it is where the crack is, how deep it runs, whether it reaches the pulp or travels down the root, and whether the tooth is still in one piece…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
What is immediate dentin sealing?
Immediate dentin sealing (IDS) is a step some dentists use when a tooth is being shaped for an inlay, onlay, overlay or crown made outside the mouth: the freshly cut…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
Direct versus indirect restorations: two ways to rebuild a tooth
A direct restoration is built inside the mouth in one sitting, usually from composite resin placed soft and hardened in layers. An indirect restoration (inlay, onlay…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
What bond strength means and why patients should avoid absolute claims
Bond strength is a laboratory measurement of the force needed to pull or shear a restorative material off tooth tissue in a test, reported in megapascals. It is useful…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
How existing cracks can change a tooth-preserving treatment plan
A crack changes the plan because the goal shifts from filling a hole to holding the tooth together. A shallow craze line in enamel may only be monitored; a crack into…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
Does biomimetic dentistry mean you will never need a root canal?
No. Biomimetic dentistry aims to remove only damaged tooth structure and to bond restorations in a way that protects the nerve, which can in selected cases reduce how…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
Repair, restore, or replace: the choices for a heavily treated tooth
There are three broad paths, and the right one depends on how much sound tooth and root remain, whether the nerve is healthy or already treated, whether the gum and bone…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
How a dentist assesses the remaining walls of a damaged molar
A molar is assessed as a small box with four walls and a floor. The dentist looks at how many walls remain, how thick each is, whether the remaining cusps are undermined…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
Why bite forces matter when choosing a conservative restoration
A bonded restoration is held by adhesion and by the tooth around it, and both are loaded every time you chew or clench. Where forces are heavy or frequent, as in…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
Told you need a crown? What a biomimetic second opinion looks at before you drive in
A biomimetic second opinion does not start from "crown or no crown." It starts from three findings: how much sound tooth remains, how deep any crack runs, and whether…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
Why isolation matters during a bonded dental restoration
The barrier is called a rubber dam (or dental dam), and it is one of several ways to isolate a tooth. Tooth-colored fillings, inlays and onlays are held by an adhesive…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
Enamel and dentin behave differently: why that shapes how a tooth is repaired
It matters because a natural tooth is built from two very different materials, and a repair that treats it as one uniform block behaves differently from one that…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
When a Partial-Coverage Restoration May Be Discussed Instead of a Crown
Often, part of the tooth can be kept. When the damage is confined to one area and enough healthy tooth remains, a partial-coverage restoration such as an onlay or…
- Biomimetic dentistry and tooth preservation
What Biomimetic Dentistry Means for a Damaged Tooth
"Biomimetic" means imitating nature. For a broken or decayed tooth it describes an adhesive, layered approach: the dentist removes only the damaged tooth structure…