Advances in Bonding since 1981
Monday, June 7th, 2010Since graduating in 1981 I have seen some incredible changes in the delivery of dental services. I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the changes with you, as a lot of the changes in dentistry are not readily apparent to the general public.
When we were in dental school, esthetic dentistry was not even discussed except when we were setting up a denture. When we were restoring teeth, the goal was to make the front teeth acceptable in appearance, and little or no consideration was given to the appearance of the back teeth.
At that time, it wasn’t that dentists were unconcerned about the appearance of our patients; it was that the materials and techniques available to us were limited. Back fillings were either silver amalgam or gold. Front fillings were available in tooth coloured material, however, the material was not that great and a limited number of tooth shades were manufactured.
The goal when placing a restoration in a tooth is to have a seal that will prevent leakage of the oral fluids. Gold restorations could be constructed to have a mechanical seal; gold is malleable and can be burnished to obtain the excellent fit required. Silver amalgam restorations seal the filling by corroding. The corrosion layer between the filling and the tooth has enough thickness to seal the cavity. Both of these restorations have a great track record and still function as acceptable restorative materials, however they are not always acceptable in appearance especially in front teeth.
White fillings were made of composite resins filled with finely ground glass particles. The problem with these fillings was that they did not stick to the tooth, therefore there was limited usage and the fillings did not last very long.
Things were changing quickly.
To create a long lasting restoration that did not leak and create sensitivity, there needed to be a way to glue the filling to the tooth. It is very difficult to glue to a tooth. This is good for you as this keeps things from sticking to your teeth (except spinach), but creates a problem for a dentist who wants to stick a dental restoration on your tooth. While it was discovered as early as 1955, that application of a mild acid solution to a tooth created a surface that could be bonded etching and bonding of teeth did not become routine until the late 70’s. In the 80’s great advances were made in the science of bonding to tooth structure. With these advances came new tooth coloured resins with greater colour matching and strength. Light cured resins were developed to allow for greater control of placement by allowing the dentist to cure the resin on demand. (That is what the blue light does, for those of you who have had bonded restorations.) The advances in dental bonding are ongoing. We are currently in the seventh generation of dental bonding resins.
Today, we can predictably bond to tooth material. This allows for placement of restorations that are not only acceptable, but also invisible. The modern dentist can make front and back tooth restorations out of composite resin or bonded porcelain, that not only look great but also function like a normal tooth.
Dental bonding has dramatically changed the way dentists practice dentistry. It has opened a whole new field of esthetic or cosmetic dentistry. Today, if you would like to change your smile to make it look better you have that option. A dentist trained in smile design and current in the state of the art esthetic procedures can easily create for you a smile that you love.
For more information about esthetic dental restorations ask Dr. Saby
