The primary objective of cosmetic dentistry never has, and will never change. The point of cosmetic dentistry will always be to make your smile and teeth overall look good. This can be done in a variety of ways such as fixing an overbite or underbite, teeth whitening, or teeth straightening. The goal now in cosmetic dentistry is how to make these different solutions as minimally invasive and with the least discomfort to the patient possible. In society, new technology appears every day. Dentistry is no different, and that is evident in the different cosmetic dentistry trends we see today.
Invisalign
One of and if not the biggest breakthrough/trend we see today is the use of Invisalign. Invisalign is the main competitor to normal braces. Although braces are faster, they also are very high maintenance. Not only are braces a lot of upkeep they also cut your mouth which can be very painful. The biggest downfall to conventional braces is common sense, who wants to walk around with a mouth full of metal? That does not even include when food gets stuck in your braces, and you look extra ridiculous. Invisalign is one of the newest cosmetics dentistry trends right now. The best way to describe Invisalign would be to say it is a very thin mouth guard that fixes your teeth. Most people will not even know you are wearing it unless you tell them. Another advantage to using Invisalign is because you can put them in and take them out so easily there are no restrictions on the kind of food you can eat. Invisalign are perfect for adults who never got braces as a kid to look as professional as possible.
3D Dentistry
Probably the most exciting of all the current cosmetic dentistry trends is 3D dentistry. Almost every day we hear about some new form of 3D technology or 3D printing, so it is not surprising to hear about it in dentistry. Along with traditional tools usually found in a dentist or orthodontist office, it is not uncommon to find 3D scanning equipment. Although 3D technology is up and coming in the cosmetic dentistry world, it is still relatively rare to see a 3D printer in a dentist or orthodontist office. However, the use of a mill is very common today. A mill is a particular piece of equipment that can make a crown in a very short amount of time. Getting a crown used to be a very long drawn out process. The patient would go to the dentist and have an impression made of his tooth. The impression would then go to a lab and could take weeks to return. In the meantime, the patient would have a temporary crown put in place, but nothing like a permanent one. Patients with temporary crowns would have to be extremely cautious as these temporary crowns were very prone to becoming loose or even popping out. These crowns popping out necessitated multiple extra trips to the dentist which could prove costly. With today’s technology what use to take weeks now only takes a couple of hours. Here’s how it would work today. The dentist would take a 3D image of the tooth that needs a crown, and the mill will have it made within a couple of hours, usually around two. The crown would then be permanently placed, and the patient is done with the whole process in one trip to the dentist. This new cosmetic dentistry trend has taken off thanks to technology and because of how common dental crowns are. In 2015, dentists said they made more patient crowns more than any other cosmetic procedure.
Ceramics
Another one of the newest cosmetic dentistry trends is the use of ceramics. In the past whenever you got an appliance put in your mouth by you dentist or orthodontist the only option was metal. However, that is no longer the case. Today, if you have an appliance put in you have two choices, metal or ceramic. Ceramics have become a trend because it blends in with your mouth much better. Instead of seeing a big clunky metal appliance you see a very neutral color that is a lot less noticeable. The cosmetic dentistry field is
evolving with the advancement of technology. Cosmetic dentistry trends are always changing. Nothing stays the same for very long before it becomes obsolete.
Dentist and Orthodontist have to be able to adapt to all of this new technology rapidly being released. From ceramics to Invisalign and 3D dentistry the future of minimally invasive and time cutting techniques are on the rise.