The Consumer Guide to Dentistry, a Web site providing information on the dental industry for consumers, has published its list of top dental trends for 2010. The top five are the following:
1) More dental implant variety and affordability: manufacturers will continue to provide more affordable and less invasive dental implants, that can be placed in an hour. The site also sees the time between implant placement and post-implant cosmetic treatment (such as a crown or bridge) shortening due to the improved process of placing the implants.
2) More options for aesthetic and affordable orthodontics: an increase in competition in the invisible orthodontic aligner market will be a positive for patients as they may expect a larger freedom of choice among the dentists who treat them.
3) More convenient and comfortable treatment: pharmaceuticals that reverse the numbing effects of local anesthetics, digital impressions that don’t require the use of traditional impression materials, and in-office CAD/CAM technology can make routine dental treatments more convenient and comfortable for patients.
4) Greater emphasis on prevention: new technologies to detect the presence of caries will help dentists use minimally invasive products to strengthen the tooth and, possibly, reverse the destructive process.
5) High-tech oral cancer screenings: 2010 will find more dentists screening for oral cancer in "nontraditional" patients (such as those under age 40) using a thorough head and neck examination and high-tech ultraviolet fluorescent, chemi-luminescent, or multispectral wavelength devices to detect dangerous oral lesions invisible to the naked eye.