Cosmetic Dentistry

• Don't risk your beautiful cosmetic work from being undermined by recurrent decay
• Give your patients the confidence to invest in their smile
• Another reason for patients to refer their friends and family

We are seeing a greater consumer demand for “wants based” dentistry. Dentists have the opportunity to provide their patients with beautiful smile makeovers that improve personal self confidence meeting the needs of the individual. With new advances like CaMBRA and patient screening technology, cosmetic dentists can now simply assess risk factors and the biofilm activity that can influence the longevity of these elective treatment options.

A regular screening program can be a simple and effective way to help manage each individual patient. Lifestyle choices have a significant effect on the bacterial balance of our oral health. A simple diet change or even a medication could significantly change a patients’ risk of new caries which can have a detrimental effect on that beautiful smile makeover.

The latest caries research has identified a number of key concepts:

• The caries infection is not pathogen specific, it is a biofilm disease and currently there are more than 30 identified bacterial species implicated in the disease process.
• pH is the strongest “selection pressure” that determines whether these cariogenic strains are present at pathogenic levels.
• Key risk factors can determine a patients’ susceptibility to this infection or bacterial imbalance.

A new level of understanding:

Dr. John Kois states that “caries risk assessment identifies patients at risk for dental caries even before they have expressed the disease and best targets treatment for those patients that have already expressed the disease. We need to find ways, like CariFree, to help our patients move from the repair model to the wellness model.”

Solutions for your practice

• Establish a simple evidence based risk assessment protocol that can be easily incorporated within your examination process.
• You already identify patients who are susceptible to the caries disease, those patients who have cavities. Determine what recommendation can be made in addition to the restorative work to treat and correct the underlying bacterial imbalance.
• Take a look at the products you currently recommend and confirm if they treat the underlying infection or just repair or remineralize the damaged site.
• Consider the pH of any oral healthcare products that the patient may use and its effect on the oral environment.