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You are reading this because your dentist offers the option of treating your tooth with a new material called Biodentine.
Biodentine differs from other dental materials and can often replace or prevent other more invasive treatments, such as root canal treatment.
Biodentine is mainly made of tricalcium silicate powder, forming a material very similar to natural dentine when mixed and set. At the same time, other dental materials are “fillings” “dentine can remineralise and repair your tooth, even when the pulp has become exposed within the cavity. It has been clinically proven to infiltrate and seal the tiny tubes that link to the nerve and, therefore, can reduce pain immediately (see image). In most cases, your tooth will remain alive and in good condition, thanks to the unique properties of Biodentine.
Biodentine is made in France by Septodont, the World’s leading dental pharmaceutical company. But Biodentine contains no drugs. It is entirely bioactive and biocompatible, which means it works and reacts with your body’s cells. That’s what makes it unique.
Biodentine took many years to develop and finally offers some patients an alternative to root canal treatment. It can potentially keep your tooth alive and enable your dentist to restore it. It’s a better clinical outcome, less involved and at far less expense than would have previously been required.
Your dentist can see significant tooth loss, possibly due to caries. Biodentine will re-seal the pulp, kill off any remaining bacteria and fill the tooth, permanently replacing all your lost dentine. Finally, you will need a layer of hard-wearing composite filling or a crown over the Biodentine to replace the enamel.
Your tooth should settle ultimately, if not immediately, over the next few days. If the pulp/ nerve was inflamed before the treatment, the tooth may remain painful or uncomfortable for up to 10 days. Your dentist will advise on the specifics of your tooth. Please do ask them any questions that you may still have.
Your teeth are covered in a tough outer shell called ‘enamel’, but this can wear away over time, often due to excessive amounts of sugar which react with bacteria in the mouth. This can cause tiny holes in the enamel and is the start of a ‘cavity’ or ‘caries’.
This cavity then exposes the softer dentine underneath. Dentine is more vulnerable to wear from bacteria and acid and has tiny tubes that directly link with the pulp, which houses the nerves of the tooth, causing sensitivity.
If the cavity goes untreated, the decay continues, and the inflammation travels through the pulp, and you get pain – known as “pulpitis”.
This inflammation can even travel down to the bone, resulting in root canal treatment (where your tooth will no longer be vital/alive) or extraction.