Technology Has Changed What a Philadelphia Dentist Can Do

If you haven’t visited a Philadelphia dentist lately, times have changed.  Over the past three decades, technology has advanced and made it possible for dentists to accomplish far more than keeping teeth clean and healthy.  Now, a trip to the dentist can result in clean teeth, restorations, and even a full smile makeover.  This is especially impactful for our older patients that may be used to more rudimentary dental care.

One of the latest advancements in dentistry is the wide adoption of dental implants as a way to restore teeth. It could be argued that implants are hundreds of years old – after all the Mayan were practicing a system of hammering shells into gums.  While this practice did exist, today’s dental care is nothing like the implants of old.  Our dental implants are comfortable, durable, and natural looking.  We can entirely replace a tooth, and it’s root system through a procedure of implanting a metal post under the gums and securing it to the jawbone.  The two elements will fuse together in order to make a new root system that is just as strong as a natural one.  A dental crown is secured to the post at the surface of the gums for a natural looking appearance.

As a Philadelphia dentist, our patients are using this procedure to replace teeth that have been lost or are infected and need to be removed.  Since an implant functions like a natural tooth, it is a preferable alternative to dentures and even dental bridges.  This, however, is not the first time that technology has improved dentistry.

In the 1980’s resin cement was invented.  This material enabled dentists to bond ceramic crowns to teeth in order to restore them in a way that looked natural.  Before resin cement, cosmetic dentistry was more of an idea than a reality.  Patients that needed to have a tooth restored, typically did so with a silver amalgam crown. While functional, this was far from attractive so severely damaged teeth were often pulled and replaced with a denture.  Once the bonding procedure became a possibility, ceramic crowns were able to accomplish the same thing in a way that looked natural.

This opened the door for further inventions.  Dental veneers, for example, use the same technology as dental crowns but instead of surrounding the teeth they lay flat on the surface.  They too are made of a ceramic material and bonded to the teeth in order to cover dark stains, close gaps in between teeth, and make teeth even in size and shape.  In the 1990’s a dental bridge was also invented using the technology that came from resin cement.  A bridge works by securing a dental crown to the two teeth surrounding the missing one.  A bridge is formed between them with a synthetic tooth secured to it.  All of this was made possible by one simple invention.

Dental technology continues to improve and as a Philadelphia dentist; we work to bring our patients the latest treatment techniques so that they can benefit from the best dental care available.  To learn more, give us a call and schedule an appointment.