2010 Dentistry Trends from the Editors of Consumer Guide to Dentistry

The face of dentistry changes each year, and 2010 will be no different. Here are the top five dental trends for 2010, brought to you by the editors of Consumer Guide to Dentistry:

1. More dental implant variety and affordability. Dental product manufacturers have stepped up the pace for introducing more affordable and less invasive dental implants, such as mini-implants that can be placed in an hour and used immediately with dentures. The techniques used for placing esthetic restorations immediately after conventional implants are placed also have improved. This means that qualified patients can receive post-implant cosmetic treatment (such as a crown or bridge) sooner than before, making it possible to achieve a fantastic smile in a fraction of the time.

2. More options for esthetic and affordable orthodontics. Invisalign cornered the invisible orthodontic aligner market for years. Now, competition in the dental marketplace from companies like ClearCorrect could change that and give patients a choice among the dentists who treat them and the clear aligner products used to straighten their teeth.

3. More convenient and comfortable treatment. Routine dental treatments will become more convenient and comfortable as more dentists incorporate such advances as pharmaceuticals that reverse the numbing effects of local anesthetics; digital impressions that don't require the use of traditional ooey-gooey impression materials; and in-office CAD/CAM technology that lets them make crowns and other restorations during your regular office visit.

4. Greater emphasis on prevention. New technologies to detect the presence of caries - the bacterial infection that leads to, but doesn't necessarily signal the presence of, cavities - will enable dentists to use minimally invasive products to strengthen the tooth and, hopefully, reverse the destructive process. And despite the fact that many dental insurance companies don't cover sealants or fluoride treatments for adults, dentists may increasingly ask adults to pay for these treatments out-of-pocket in order to avoid future damage and the need for a costly filling or crown.

5. High-tech oral cancer screenings. Exposure to HPV-16 and HPV-18 (human papilloma virus) is the fastest growing risk factor for oral cancer. Dentists increasingly will be screening for oral cancer in "non-traditional" patients - such as those under age 40 - using a thorough head and neck examination and high-tech ultraviolet fluorescent, chemi-luminescent or multi-spectral wavelength devices to detect dangerous oral lesions invisible to the naked eye.

To learn more about these and other topics important to your family's dental health, please visit Consumer Guide to Dentistry.

About Consumer Guide to Dentistry

Online since April 2007, Consumer Guide to Dentistry contains more than 100 pages of dentist-reviewed information about all aspects of dentistry and oral health. The site's most popular sections are those about teeth whitening, braces and dental implants. Other popular areas include TMJ disorder, Invisalign, veneers, Lumineers and bridges, as well as the before-and-after photo gallery and the directory of cosmetic dentists. The site is accredited by the Health on the Net Foundation.

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