WHILE the whole medical field scrambled to control Covid-19, many advances have also been taking place in the field of dental medicine in the past 3 years.

'Introduction of many tissue-friendly materials, advancements in metal-free materials, lasers, ultrasonic machines and digital dentistry all happened in the recent past. These gave both patients and dentists more options in treatment planning. They are less invasive and more conservative approaches, and there is more focus on preservation of natural structures,' says Filipino Persian dentist Farzaneh Jimenez Shamsi, who has completed her Doctorate of Dental Medicine at Centro Escolar University.