Going Green in Dentistry?

At Whalen Dentistry we have decided to do our part for the environment. We recycle, use energy efficient light bulbs, and have energy efficient appliances. But those aren't the eco-friendly changes we are excited about. We have been taking our conservation efforts in a new direction: to saving your valuable tooth structure.

For years in dentistry, the extent of cosmetic treatment was how smooth the dentist was able to make your silver colored (amalgam) filling, or how shiny they could make that gold crown in the back of your mouth.

Efforts then moved to creating dental restorations out of porcelain. The great thing about this new material was how life-like it was in appearance, and it could be used anywhere in the mouth.

The first problem with this new tooth colored restoration was that it was very brittle. The next was that advancements had not yet been made to predictably bond the restoration to the tooth.

To combat these downfalls there was one solution, make the porcelain thicker. In order to do that more of your precious tooth structure had to be taken away, leaving less of your healthy enamel available when that crown needed to be replaced in the future.

Luckily today we have made great strides in the techniques and materials that can be utilized in providing you with your dream smile. Porcelain veneers can be fabricated that measure only .3 of a millimeter thick. In some cases your teeth with only need to be very slightly prepared or not prepared at all in order to give us the results we are looking for with your new smile.

At Whalen Dentistry, Dr. Whalen will work closely with you and his lab technician to discuss options for providing your desired cosmetic result while saving valuable tooth structure. His goal with every case is to provide you with the best "green" smile possible.

Another exciting advancement brought on by new porcelain materials and the ability to bond these materials to tooth structure has to do with your back teeth (molars and premolars). Many of you have probably been told by your dentist that the old filling in your molar is going to need to be replaced, and it is going to need a crown because there is not enough of your tooth left to do another filling. While in many cases a full coverage crown is still necessary, most of teeth can be restored with a more conservative approach----a porcelain inlay or onlay. While these restorations are very similar to crowns they have one key difference: more of your natural tooth structure can be saved and will remain once the restoration has been placed.

I would encourage all of you to ask about these options if you are interested in a new smile design or if your dentist recommends any of the treatment discussed.



****A side note about minimal prep veneers. Please make sure that you only see a highly trained cosmetic dentist for any of your cosmetic dental questions. I would encourage you to ask your dentist about their relationship with the lab technician that will be used for your new smile and make sure direct communication of your desired results is possible