What is Biomimetic Dentistry? It’s a new treatment paradigm, that evolved out of Japan, twenty years ago. Japanese Dental scientists discovered that if they mimic the biomechanical properties of the oral complex, dental treatments could be vastly more conservative and its outcomes would be greatly enhanced.

These core principles are:

• Early detection of disease processes

• Conservative/minimally invasive removal of diseased tissues (teeth, gums, bone)

• Utilize materials that mimic the biomechanical properties of the oral complex

1. Early Detection:
This seems self-explanatory. Though, unfortunately, the current dental philosophy of “wait and see (aka “watch it get worse”) has conditioned Dentists and the public to minimize the importance of early detection. This involves having a keen eye and understanding of subtle oral tissue changes as well as, using at least 4.5x magnification eyewear and intra oral cameras.

2. Conservative/Minimally invasive removal of diseased tissues:
The current dental treatment philosophy of “extend to prevent” is what non Biomimetic dentists do. This translates to removal of all healthy and unhealthy tissue to allow for the chosen treatment to be utilized. Take a crown, for example: in addition to diseased tissue, all your beautiful and healthy enamel is drilled off, so the crown can fit your leftover “nub of a tooth”. I refer to this as “destructive dentistry”. My use of laser technology and Biomimetic skills allows me to perform what I call “constructive dentistry”.

3. Materials that mimic the biomechanical properties of the oral complex:
Ceramic and fiberglass are the primary advanced materials used in Biomimetic dentistry.