There are so many procedures used in dentistry today, and each one serves a special purpose in making your smile perfect. In many ways, these procedures liken a dentist to a sculptor. The following three examples show how a dentist is like a sculptor and how these traits benefit you as a patient. 

1. A Dentist Has to Grind, Drill and Shape Like a Sculptor

Although sculptors work with stone or other objects, a dentist only works with teeth and dental materials. He or she uses special tools (like a sculptor) to grind, drill and shape objects that are sensitive to fracturing and cracking. Before a dentist or sculptor begins their work, they examine what they will be shaping and look for potential problem areas. Wherever holes or cavities are already present, there is likely a "fault line" nearby, a line unseen by the naked eye that when struck the wrong way could split the object on which the dentist or sculptor works. With this knowledge, your dentist works around these areas or looks for ways to strengthen your teeth such that they will not receive more damage in the process of being shaped or drilled.

2. A Dentist Has to Add AND Detract Material Like a Sculptor

In sculpting artwork, a sculptor may add or detract from the work. The purpose is often an aesthetic choice, a decision to add material to highlight an area or detract material to make is smoother, rounder or less sharp. Your dentist does the same thing when he or she repairs your teeth.

He or she may remove the damaged or decaying parts of your teeth that are not aesthetically pleasing (or healthy!) and then use dental bonding as a means to replace what was lost or create smoother, rounder biting surfaces after the tooth is filled. (Dental bonding is a paste-like material that can be shaped and molded right on the tooth. Then a UV light quickly hardens it. The dentist shapes it and polishes it, just like a sculptor with a fine piece of marble.)

3. A Dentist Has to Polish and Seal the Finished Product Like a Sculptor

Sculptors who work in marble have to polish their sculptures so that they appear smooth and/or shiny. Both clay and marble sculptors have to seal their works to prevent slow cracking and breaking caused by environmental conditions. Likewise, your dentist has to polish and seal the teeth he or she repairs. Polishing them keeps them clean and makes the fillings or bonding material shiny like real teeth. Sealing these repairs, and sealing your natural teeth in the process, prevents the hot, moist forceful grinding conditions in your mouth from cracking your teeth. The result is a set of teeth that can stand the test of time, just like a sculpture.

For further assistance, contact a local dentist, such as Richard M Holmes DMD PA.

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