The Dental Industry’s Cosmetic Facelift in 2018

In today’s technologically advanced, fast-paced world that we live in, it’s now easier than any other time in history to get access to information at our fingertips. We can find out what we want when we want, and when it comes to services, who’s the best to provide them.

All industries including the medical industry are focusing on customer-centric operations, heightening experiences and results while focusing on convenience. This has been prevalent in the dental industry and has resulted in changing some misconceptions and new trends arising.

It is not easy to get rid of the stigma of the dentist’s chair, but with new technologies becoming available, things are not what they seem in today’s modern practices.

Pain-Free Simplistic Dental Procedures

The ingrained fear of the dentist manifests in many of us from the notion of it bring both slow and painful. Over recent years there has been a push from the industry to find shorter procedures to take away the anxiety levels of patients. Innovations are making procedures faster and more comfortable. Such as:

CEREC Crowns

Gone are the days of poorly fitted and ultimately ‘temporary’ crowns. CEREC is one of the most significant leaps in dental advancement for decades.

CEREC uses computer-aided design and manufacturing technology to create the crown; this is made possible in as little as two hours. It uses state-of-the-art digital mapping technology to chart the inside of the mouth, taking a digital image of the tooth/teeth in question.

The new tooth is milled out of a solid ceramic block, then cut, coated and cement- bonded to your tooth. After the procedure a patient can carry on everyday life, there is no need for a liquid only 24-hours, it is like having your natural tooth immediately replaced as new, and the porcelain will last a lifetime.

An Upgrade to Metal Braces

Re-alignment can take place at any age, it’s not a missed opportunity if we didn’t have it done when we were children. As an adult the basic requirement is that you have healthy teeth and gums so it can be effective.  However, for most adults, the length of time in addition to the appearance of metal braces, deter many from seeking treatment.

There has been recent re-development as far as the aesthetic side of braces is concerned. The principle remains the same, but now clear wire and brackets that are dyed to match exact tooth colour are applied with an initial focus on the front teeth.

Sedation in Dentistry

There are new ways in today’s modern dentistry to relieve a patient’s stress and create a form of sedation. This goes for all procedures from standard dental cleaning to tooth removal and more.

Nitrous Oxide

The combination of nitrous oxide and oxygen is an effective means of managing pain and anxiety with a proven safety margin when the right dosage is administered.

Patients that are administered Nitrous Oxide during a procedure are still able to drive afterwards and continue with a normal daily routine with no side-effects.

For slightly higher sedation, oral tablets are also an option. There are various options safe and open to your practitioner, Halcion, which is a member of the same drug family as Valium, is widely used and taken between 30 to 60 minutes prior to any procedure.  The pill creates drowsiness, whilst you maintain consciousness. An increased dose may be given to produce moderate sedation.

Actual sedation requires a nurse anaesthetistwho once you are asleep monitors your breathing and vital statistics throughout, but these procedures are becoming less and less frequent with technological advances.

The Cosmetic Dentistry Boom

Cosmetic Dentistry is without a doubt the biggest boom within the industry. In today’s social profile world more than ever people want to change the way they look. With new technology bringing down time frames and cost it is in high demand, and the technology is keeping pace:

Teeth Whitening

Previously teeth whitening was a lengthy drawn-out process consisting of specially fitted mouth trays with bleaching gel, whereby in two weeks minimal results tended to be achieved. Teeth whitening has been revolutionised recently.

Now the procedure consists of a cheek retractor is inserted into the mouth, exposing the teeth that are visible when you smile.A hardening resin is applied onto the gum tissue to protect from any potential aggravation from the gel. The latest bleaching gel contains hydrogen peroxide, and is applied to the person’s teeth for around twenty to thrity minutes, and the cleaning off process the same.  Many of today patients see up to six shades of whiteness difference in just 1 hour.

Lumineers

Porcelain Veneers were the go-to treatment for many over the years for imperfections, chips or broken teeth and even discolouration.  Although veneers were an effective treatment, it was again a time-consuming one.

Lumineers, play the same role in a fraction of the time. Most procedures today take no more than two appointments and with almost no abrasive reduction to the tooth’s surface, and absolutely no anaesthesia required.

All-in-one Dental Cosmetic Surgeries

With the massive demand for cosmetic dentistry it is no surprise to find that dentists understand this goes hand-in-hand with general cosmetic procedures.  As patients want a more youthful aesthetically pleasing look in all facets of their face a newer business model is currently taking off in the US. Dental practices are aligning themselves with naturopaths and dermatologists and some aestheticians to offer a complete cosmetic service, in a one-stop-shop if you like where various cosmetic work can be completed in just one day.

Making the Dentist a Good Place to go

Dentists are conscious of how a visit to them can be daunting and stressful. But with the technology available to us today, we won’t be passing down the kind of stories we were led to believe about the dentist’s chair to the next generation.

Author Bio

Carl is an experience blogger of 9 years, is a keen health and sport enthusiast, associated with Weston Dental one of the leading dentist Canberra Australia.