Today’s article looks at one of the miracles of modern dentistry: the dental restoration.
Let’s pretend you are a biomedical engineer working in the field of dentistry before the introduction 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 various physical and chemical requirements of this incredible substance. It must tolerate 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 weaken 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 necessary 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 generate 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 thought about the esthetics yet. Ideally, this amazing material would be indistinguishable from genuine teeth in color, opacity, and translucence.
Of course, we know that such a substance exists because dental restorations have been around for a long time. Nowadays, there are numerous materials used alone or in combination including porcelain, ceramic, and metals such as gold and silver amalgam. Though the metals are extremely 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 developed over 2000 years ago in China.
I wonder if the ancient Chinese porcelain inventors who developed the techniques for molding, firing, and painting the beautiful tableware and vases highly regarded around the world ever imagined that their invention would live beautifully in the mouths of millions of individuals more than twenty centuries later!
Eric Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry offers porcelain veneers, Six Month Smiles, implant dentistry, Zoom! teeth whitening, and restorative dentistry. For more information, call Eric Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry today at 616-784-2377 or visit us.
We can whiten, brighten, and straighten your smile!
Contact Eric Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry:
616-784-2377
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
769 York Creek Dr NW
Comstock Park, Michigan
49321
