Dentistry has evolved significantly in the past decades. Sadly, many dentists are still using Civil War era techniques and technology in a world of space age materials and advances. Fortunately, there is a growing trend toward metal free dental restorations worldwide.

While silver-mercury amalgam fillings are banned in many European countries, the majority of American dentists are still drilling larger than necessary holes, removing healthy tooth structure and filling them up with silver-mercury fillings that do nothing to restore the integrity of a tooth weakened by decay. In addition, Amalgam fillings expand with time leading to crack formation deep inside many teeth. Often, partially cracked teeth exhibit a painful phenomenon called "fractured tooth syndrome." It includes pain to cold and sharp pain on biting. Before a tooth breaks, it cracks. While horizontal breaks above the gum line are fixable, diagonal breaks below the gum line require surgery in order to save the tooth. Unfortunately, vertical breaks are untreatable and the tooth has to be extracted.

Human teeth have not changed for the past 200,000 years. Their perfect design is a balance between biologic, mechanical, functional, and esthetic parameters. Biomimetic Dentistry is new dental paradigm. It is a philosophy as well as evidence-based dental adhesive techniques and principles developed by a collaboration of Swiss, Italian and American dentists. The focus of Biomimetic Dentistry is to study and strive to fully understand the stress and strain of individual teeth under function. This allows restorative techniques to be optimized and proper materials to be used to rebuild the various layers of your teeth. Biomimetic dentistry strives to reproduce the biomechanical and esthetic properties of intact healthy teeth using the latest adhesive techniques and materials.

Biomimetic Dentistry is the most current, science supported approach to treating weak, fractured, and decayed teeth in a way that keeps them strong, seals them from bacterial invasion an makes them last significantly longer. When a tooth is too weak to hold a filling, many dentists place crowns. Traditional crowns require a dentist to drill the tooth down to a stump or a nub in order to fit the tooth to the crown. Biomimetic dentists are tooth saving dentists that fit the restoration to the tooth. Only the decayed and weakened parts of the tooth are removed, the inner flexible portion of your tooth is rebuilt with materials that function like dentin often reinforced with Kevlar fiberglass mesh to reduce tooth fracture, and then the enamel is rebuilt with a durable and esthetic porcelain restoration that fits the tooth like a jigsaw puzzle piece. This means less drilling, and less trauma to the tooth leading to tremendous decrease in the need for root canals. No metal is used when restoring individual teeth Biomimetically. Dr. Shvartsman is able to fabricate strong, esthetic porcelain restorations right in his office in a single visit saving you valuable time and money (gas isn't cheap anymore). e used CEREC in office CAD/CAM ( Computer Assisted Milling and Computer Assisted Design.) There are numerous advantaged to CAD /CAM dentistry. No more need for plastic temporaries that can break or fall out at the most inopportune time. Additionally, there is no need for multiple visits and multiple injections when using CEREC technology.

Careful sealing against infection eliminates the need for 60% to 90% of the crowns and root canal treatments of traditional "drill and fill" dentistry. Dr. Shvartsman does not simply "dig out decay and fill holes." He restores teeth using modern adhesive materials, composite fillings and strong porcelains in a way that rebuilds teeth as close to their original structure, function and esthetics as possible.. The underlying principle of Biomimetic Dentistry is conservative dentistry. Dr Shvartsman makes every effort to conserve as much of your own healthy teeth as possible.

Many of his patients are concerned about mercury in their fillings and how it affects their health. Dr. Shvartsman has not used silver-mercury fillings since starting private practice. In order to minimize mercury vapor exposure during amalgam filling removal, Dr. Shvartsman follows the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology guidelines. In addition, he has consulted with a world authority on mercury-free dentistry, Dr. Tom McGuire. Under his guidance, Dr. Shvartsman has refined his silver-mercury filling removal technique to be as safe as possible for his patients. To learn more on mercury free dentistry visit: www.dentalwelllness4u.com

Dr. Alex Shvartsman is the only dentist in the Smithtown area to be trained in and practice Biomimetic Dentistry. Currently, a team of dentists, including  Dr. Shvartsman, are in the process of educating dentists in the philosophy and techniques of Biomimetic Dentistry so that more patients may benefit from healthier, longer lasting dental restorations in the United States.