WHAT’S NEW IN DENTISTRY?
I’ve been practicing over 30 years. In that time I’ve seen wonderful improvements in dentistry which were only a dream back then. Silver amalgam fillings have been replaced by esthetic fillings. Front teeth can be made to look beautiful with the improved porcelains. We can replace teeth predictably with implants. The technology with digital x-rays and intraoral photography can show so much more of what’s going on. So, where do we look for improvements from here?) in 2014?
SHOTS THAT DON’T HURT
I. Instead of getting local anesthesia with an injection, what would you think of getting numb with a nasal spray? This product has made it through the early trials and is expected to be available shortly. The early products may only be used in the upper arch but may be expanded to numb the lower.
IS THERE AN IMPROVEMENT ON ROOT CANALS?
2. There is a new technology called “regenerative endodontics” which is a new way to do root canals. The theory is that when the nerve and blood vessels die, they can be regenerated. At present this is used in younger patients where the roots are not well formed and the space for the nerve and blood vessels is large. There have been many teeth that have been successfully treated this way.
CAN’T YOU JUST GROW A NEW TOOTH?
3. If you lose a tooth, wouldn’t it be nice to just grow another tooth back? We are getting closer to having that technology! Experiments in growing tooth structure with stem cell research have made significant strides in achieving this goal. This would be easier than an implant, and more natural.
So as dental research continues to give us improved options in dentistry, the staff at Lohmann Dental will keep you posted.