Have You Heard About "Biomimetic Dentistry"?

This is a new one on me.  I was reading an article about how amalgam fillings are not only dangerous to our health, but also to the health of our teeth.  If you have access to LinkedIn, the title of the article is, "Do amalgam fillings wreck your teeth?"  by Dr. Shvartsman.  I'll summarize the dentist's information for those who don't.

The problem with the mercury fillings is that they cause "rusting" of the area, including injury to the teeth.  This mercury/silver, zinc and tin powder combination is reactive, eventually leading to cracks in the teeth and possible permanent damage. Also, this amalgam is not a true permanent seal for the decayed area and more decay can take place. 

"Amalgam fillings are not cemented in to the tooth like an inlay or a crown. The only technology available in the 1800’s to keep amalgam fillings in place were basic wood working principles. These include a dovetail joint design: the base needed to be wider than the top so the filling would not fall out of the tooth. Since a cavity creates a bowl shaped hole, the undercutting of healthy tooth to hold larger fillings in place. For replacing huge fillings, cusp holes are drilled and pins are screwed into the tooth; this can lead to micro crack formation, tooth perforation and even nerve trauma. As a result, root canal treatment is needed.
Not only do mercury-silver fillings do nothing for rebuilding the integrity of the tooth following decay removal, they further weaken the tooth by removing additional healthy tooth structure. To make matters worse, silver-mercury fillings expand with time and heat putting pressure on the already compromised tooth. This can have dire consequences: catastrophic tooth fracture."

Dr. Shvartsman says, "Fortunately there is an alternative to silver-mercury amalgam fillings. Since the 1980’s bonded, tooth colored, resin composite fillings have evolved into predictable, long lasting restorations. After three decades of worldwide research. A new dental restorative concept has emerged: Biomimetic Dentistry. Its premise is simple: let the natural tooth design be the blueprint for dental tooth restoration. Instead of re-inventing how teeth are built, biomimetic dentists mimic the natural biomechanical properties of teeth with the latest dental, synthetic materials. Instead of further weakening an already structurally compromised tooth as amalgams do, bonded (fused to tooth) resin-composite materials are employed to synthetically mimic the natural tooth in structure, function and esthetics."

For anyone living in the NYC area, this dentist practices in Smithtown, Long Island.  I wish I lived closer to this dentist; I'd be on his doorstep in a flash.

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