Many people don’t go to the dentist as often as they should. According to recent numbers, nearly 40% of the adult British population skip regular check-ups and only go to the doctor when the pain kicks in. However, there are those who love their teeth and would go to great lengths for the perfect smile.
Cosmetic dentistry is also rising in the country, an industry expected to surpass the GBP 7.5 billion mark by the end of this year. More impressively still, industry experts forecast a robust CAGR of 11.5% up to 2030. The rush for the pearly and perfectly aligned smile increases the demand for technological innovations, and here they are.
Implants
Oral implants can be tricky, and bone regeneration can be quite painful. Advanced implantology and bone regeneration techniques have made such procedures more efficient and less traumatic. Patients’ bodies no longer reject new implants thanks to sophisticated tissue engineering and cell therapies that can modulate bone regeneration.
Cell therapy combines biomaterials, biomolecules, and MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells) extracted from the patient. The mixture results in a biocomplex that can be adjusted individually and, better still, is easily reproducible. It’s mostly used for bone recovery after trauma or surgery and for intrabony defects.
3D Printing
There aren’t two mouths alike, so personalisation is vital in oral dentistry. Artificial prosthetic materials may trigger body rejection in some patients and no reaction at all in others. Likewise, teeth aren’t the same, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all, pre-fabricated tooth mold. 3D printing has made the process much simpler and more precise.
Prosthesis manufacturing can be time-consuming, but the new generation of 3D printers can do it on the go. It’s the perfect solution for orthodontic devices, veneers, and crowns for those who don’t like testing them twice. Besides, 3D-printed implants look much more natural, as they’re based on advanced medical imaging of each patient.
Laser Dentistry
Laser dentistry may sound like something out of the Jetsons cartoon, but it’s already here, bringing massive improvements.
Typically, treatments consist of highly focused and precise beams of light that cut through organic material or trigger chemical reactions. So, this technology is mostly used in surgeries and teeth whitening procedures.
Laser is a tried and tested technology in modern dentistry, reducing post-procedural pain and bleeding. Before laser treatments, whitening procedures bleached the patients’ teeth, which often backfired, causing damage. Now, the process is much less invasive, immediate, and longer-lasting.
Artificial Intelligence
There’s nothing AI hasn’t touched yet, from meme creation to medical treatments; dentistry isn’t an exception. Here, AI is used as a diagnostic tool, providing dentists with crucial insights regarding the patient’s health conditions and suggesting personalised treatment paths.
Unlike in sci-fi novels, artificial intelligence doesn’t take over the jobs of skilled dentists. Instead, it dramatically improves diagnostic precision with computer programs that can analyse medical images, bringing up issues that could have escaped a human eye.
It has also become a vital tool for calculating patient-specific risks before initiating treatment or preventing future problems.
Biocompatible Materials
Modern dentistry is evolving to use materials and components to reduce patient rejection and speed up regeneration. Materials like zirconia and other composite resins interact with the human body like a natural tooth. It means there’s no risk of painful allergic reactions, providing a smoother recovery
Better still, such materials also look very much like human teeth, making for better aesthetic results. Composite resins are mostly used to mimic natural teeth colouration. High-performance polymers like PEEK (Polyetheretherketone) have shown promising results, such as superior compatibility with oral tissues and outstanding physical properties.
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