![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() So, back to our question, how do dentists decide which dental material is best for the patient and best for a particular restorative application? While biocompatibility is the new “buzzword” in dentistry what does it really mean? In simple terms, it means that the material being used should not have a negative impact on the health of the recipient. I said “no thanks” to the offer, besides, I have proof that I already drive too fast, according to the nice state trooper who wanted me to live longer by making me pay a fine so large, that I would remember it the next time I wanted to speed. I still haven’t been able to figure out what a surgical laser has to do with racetrack driving. I once purchased a new laser because I truly believed that it was the best laser on the market for the surgical procedures I perform. After the purchase, I was told that I won an opportunity to drive a new BMW racecar around the racetrack in California. How does the dentist decide what material to use? Do they simply choose a dental material that is on sale that week? Is it a “new” material that a dental rep recently brought into their office? Sometimes, these free samples come with several color brochures to convince the dentist that buying this product is akin to walking on the beach with a beautiful healthy-looking partner next to them. ![]() This is extremely important because the dental materials used, will ideally remain for many years, or even better, for the rest of the patient’s life! But most often, the one critical part that is missing in the treatment plan, is the presentation and decision of what kind of dental materials the dentist will use and be permanently placing into the patient’s mouth, which can be the most hostile environment in the human body. All these technological advances make developing a treatment plan based on a very thorough exam much easier for the dentist and the patient. Nearly all dentists wear optical lenses that magnify everything within the mouth. While these new 3D X-rays are not as good as the two-dimensional X-rays for the detection of cavities, when it comes to looking for bone pathology and abscesses, these state-of-the-art X-rays provide the doctor with views that make the old two-dimensional X-rays seem archaic. To assist in making a diagnosis they may have the best X-ray equipment available and study the X-rays with a magnifying lens. They may even have the latest 3D X-ray machine which gives the doctor a view of the whole head, inside and out, and in every direction imaginable! Most patients get a real kick out of seeing their own skull, even if it is a little bit scary looking. Yet there is something that many of these dentists are completely unaware of when they examine a patient, come up with a diagnosis, and then formulate a treatment plan. One of the things I have noticed over the many years of my dental career is that “ALL” dentists think that they are the best dentist in their community, state, or maybe even the country. “Understanding Biocompatibility Before Dental Treatment” by Dr. ![]()
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