Rejuvenate Your Look: Dentistry
Procedures on the body and face aren’t the only ones surging in popularity. Cosmetic dental procedures are also on the rise. A 2015 survey of dental professionals by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry found that revenue from cosmetic dental procedures grew by four-points, $500,000 to $1 million since 2013. The most popular procedures: tooth whitening, veneers, crowns, bridgework, and bonding. Some 86% of patients reported seeking out these procedures to improve their appearance and self-esteem, 45% said they do it to feel younger.
The foundation for these cosmetic treatments often lies in a strong and healthy mouth—and in tooth replacement and other procedures typically provided by endodontists. It’s a field that’s being bolstered by new technology and innovations, which allow dental professionals to provide patients with more precise results in far less time than in the past.
“Some of the most advanced procedures we do much more of are what’s referred to as “Teeth in a Day”,” said Dr. Donald I. Rothenberg, DMD, an endodontist with Implant Dentistry of the Northshore. “A patient can come in the morning with their old dentures or failing teeth, and leave in the afternoon with their own teeth. It is very rewarding to see their reaction…many times it is life changing.”
Procedures like “Teeth in a Day,” are now made possible due to advanced technology that is offered right in the office, such as computer-guided surgery, computed tomography imaging, and even stem cell therapies that can regenerate lost tissue using the patient’s own blood, he said.
“Technological advancements, including surgical microscopes, low-radiation digital x-ray, and low-radiation focus field cone beam CT, allow endodontists, (specialists in root canal treatment), to save natural teeth quickly and painlessly with a high rate of long term success,” said Dr. Peter Morgan, managing partner of North Shore and Brookline Endodontics. “Dentists can then restore teeth to their original or perhaps improved appearance. Recent clinical research has shown that dental implants can have a high rate of complications and failure. Realizing this, dentists are now refocused on the value of saving natural teeth as the foundation for predictable long term success and improved dental esthetics and function.”
Technology also helps dental professionals create more precise veneers. The advent of stronger ceramics means that less tooth structure needs to be prepared to fabricate and bond the thin veneer. Light translucency and color match is usually perfect, or close to perfect,” says Julie Elpers, DMD, MS of Dental Partners of Brookline.
For patients looking to straighten a crooked smile, today’s orthodontic treatments can provide quick gratification. Gone are the days of two year sentences, spent locked inside a set of silver train-track braces. Today’s treatments take less than twelve months on average, sometimes as little as six months—and straightening systems are clear and less obvious. “The big rave at my practice is accelerated orthodontics,” says Dr. Anna Berik of Newton Dental Associates. “I can give my patients the smile they have always dreamed of in half the time. Accelerated orthodontics meets all the demands of my patients: it’s safe, clinically-proven, non-invasive, provides rapid gratification, no down time, decreased chair times, and wonderful esthetic enhancement.”
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