subject: Substitute For Dental Related Material [print this page] One aim of dentistry has been to find materials that imitate the normal materials of the mouth so that strong dental maintenance retains the patient's natural exterior. As such, the search for appropriate substitutes for normal dental materials has grown and widened as technology has increased. While dentists have used numerous materials and substitutes over the years, technology has improved to the point that it is becoming achievable to duplicate and even advance upon the mouth's normal materials.
Plastic
Due to its stretchy nature, plastic has been a fashionable dental option in the past. Plastic is well-built and can be molded to robust any patient's mouth. Plastic is often used as a support for clamps holding stable dentures, for instance. Plastic also can be shaped to the roof of a patient's chops if needed. The versatility and strength of plastic is great; because of it's fairly small cost plastic is often used for dental events.
Bone
One of the materials that's been used as a dental substitute with varying amount of helpfulness is human bone. Ideally, bone is full from another part of the patient's structure and then used to help reinforce or repair their jaw. This is common in cases where implants have to be surgically installed and the patient's chin is either not firms enough to support the implants.
Fillings
While not as popular as before, a range of metals have been used as dental substitute. In the past, gold was frequently used to fill teeth or to create false teeth because gold is a supple, easily-shaped metal that won't dull. Silver amalgam was also used to fill cavities in teeth, but it holds mercury which can harm the body. Currently, a material called dental compound is used to fill teeth. This artificial resin is very similar to earthenware, but the material looks more natural and won't escort to the negative side effects that can go with metal filling.
