This message looks at one a modern miracle: restorative dentistry, available at Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette CO.
Let’s pretend you are a biomedical engineer working in the field of dentistry before the conception of dental restorations. The men and women of your generation who have missing or damaged teeth want to repair or replace them with a man-made substitute. You have been hired to find or create a material that can be used to manufacture fillings, crowns, and dental bridges.
Consider the physical and chemical requirements of this incredible substance. It must sustain forces of 162 pounds per square inch (PSI), hundreds of times a day – day after day, year after year. It must be resistant to cracking and chipping. But there’s a catch regarding its stability; it must not hurt the enamel on opposing teeth. This material must also maintain its size and shape and be resistant to shrinking.
It must be bondable to living tooth structure as well as other materials needed for specific appliances. It must be biocompatible with the soft tissues in the mouth as well as tooth enamel, dentin, and bone. It can’t trigger allergic reactions in the wearers. It must be corrosion-resistant to the chemicals in saliva, foods, and beverages. It must resist infection regardless of ever-present bacteria in the mouth. And it can’t contain toxic chemicals that could be absorbed into the bloodstream.
And we haven’t even talked about the artistic properties yet. Ideally, this amazing material would match perfectly with real-life teeth in color, opacity, and translucence.
Of course, we know that such a material exists because dental restorations have been around for a long time. At this time, there are multiple materials used alone or in combination including porcelain, ceramic, and metals such as gold and silver amalgam. Though the metals are exceptionally strong and malleable, they don’t meet some patient’s esthetic requirements and are used mainly for back teeth.
It is interesting to note that porcelain, one of the ideal materials used in modern restorations, was created over 2000 years ago in China.
At Boulder County Smiles in Lafayette CO, we offer restorative dentistry, including dental implants. Schedule an appointment with us today.
Contact Gordon West DDS – Aesthetic & General Dentistry:
303-665-5335
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
1140 W South Boulder Rd Ste 201
Lafayette, Colorado
80026
