Boring is the least pleasant part of visiting the dentist for most of us. It turns out that it is possible to remove caries without using a drill. But is it effective? Check what are the options for treating teeth without drilling and when they can be used.

Borowanie , that is, removing the tooth tissue attacked by caries with a drill, usually leaves many unpleasant memories. Scientists are constantly looking for an alternative way to prepare cavities, and patients are eagerly awaiting news that will allowto treat teeth without a drill . Do the newest methods of fighting caries have a chance to replace the traditional drill? Thanks to modern preparations and more and more perfect equipment, treating teeth does not have to be associated with suffering. It turns out, however, that the new treatments are not as ideal as expected, and while they can be helpful in some cases, they are not always applicable.

Treatment without a drill: what instead of drilling at the dentist?

  • Carisolv Gel

Carisolv gel appeared over 10 years ago as a drill-less method of caries removal. During the procedure, the dentist places a drop of gel on the sick tooth, which softens the tissues affected by caries. Thanks to this, the doctor can scrape them with a special tool and then apply a dressing or filling. The advantage of the gel is also its composition - the active substance dissolves only the diseased tissue without harming the he althy one. Unfortunately, this treatment method works only for small cavities. It is also time-consuming and not entirely drill-free, because the dentist often has to use a traditional drill to remove old filling or clean hard-to-reach places.

  • Ozone therapy

Ozone therapy is a method that uses ozone to combat tooth decay. This gas allows for quick destruction of bacteria and remineralization (independent reconstruction) of sterilized tissues. Before the procedure, the treated tooth should be thoroughly cleaned (e.g. by traditional or air abrasion method) and sealed with a special cap. Then a gas is introduced under the cap to disinfect the tooth surface. Ozone treatment works well for small carious lesions on the enamel surface, sometimes you do not even need to put on a filling. However, if the cavity isdeep, it is treated traditionally, and ozone is used additionally - after cleaning the tooth, but before filling.

  • Air abrasion

Air abrasion is a method in which, instead of a drill, a thin nozzle is used, from which, under high pressure, a stream of air with particles of aluminum oxide is emitted, allowing for precise grinding of the diseased tooth tissue. The procedure is quick and usually causes no pain ( although it is not always possible to eliminate it). Air abrasion is used to remove old fillings and clean carious lesions. When working on deeper cavities, it is sometimes necessary to use traditional instruments. After the treatment, the feeling of dryness and sand in the mouth remains for a long time, because large amounts of dust are created when using the abrasive method. For this reason, it cannot be used in patients with asthma.

  • Ultrasound

Ultrasound is mainly used to remove tartar, then a device producing ptrajos (scaler) is used. By changing the tip to a more invasive one, you can also work on cavities. However, this method is not very supportive, it is not painless and cannot be used in all cases.

  • Laser

Processing cavities (even deep ones) with a laser is based on evaporation of diseased tooth tissues with the use of light pulses. The surface prepared in this way is decontaminated and the filling can be placed immediately. The procedure is definitely less painful than with traditional tools, it is devoid of sound effects and vibrations. However, this is a time-consuming method and requires the doctor to be very precise, because a moment of inattention or careless movement is enough, and the light beam can damage he althy enamel or gum. The laser is not suitable for use in hard-to-reach cavities or for removing composite fillings (they melt). The price is also important - the device itself is very expensive, so the cost of the procedure is much higher.

Teeth treatment: the advantage of the drill?

So far, none of the new methods has proved so perfect that one of the dentists completely gave up the traditional method of treatment. In general, they require more financial resources, are associated with longer cavities processing and have many limitations in use. Thus, boriding remains the fastest and cheapest, and thus the most frequently used method of removing diseased tooth tissues. The drill accurately cuts carious lesions regardless of the size and location of the cavity. Moving at tremendous speed, however, it creates a high temperature which warms the tooth tissue, making the procedurepainful. But this problem can be solved by giving effective anesthesia. In addition, rotary instruments are constantly being improved (all tips that have drills) - they are faster and better cooled so as not to overheat the tooth and reduce unpleasant sensations during the procedure.

According to an expertTomasz Foik, dentist, Well Now Dental Clinic in Warsaw, www.wellnow.pl

Caries is a threat to the heart

Untreated caries is not only an aesthetic problem. It also causes a lot of trouble with the teeth themselves, incl. painful pulp inflammation, inflammation or periapical abscesses resulting from pulp gangrene. There is also a need to remove teeth completely damaged by caries, which is associated with a reduction in the comfort of eating and deterioration of digestion. However, a neglected oral cavity is primarily a habitat of bacteria that poison the entire body. They enter the bloodstream and can infect, for example, kidneys, liver, heart. Advanced dental caries is also dangerous for pregnant women, as it can cause premature uterine contractions and cause low birth weight in the baby. Often times, patients do not realize that by not visiting the dentist regularly, they also risk losing their teeth in the event of an unexpected surgery. When choosing an operation, you must have a dentist's certificate that there are no outbreaks of infection in the oral cavity. If they are, and by the time of the surgery it is not possible to cure them, it is sometimes necessary to remove a few teeth, which could probably be saved if the patient saw the dentist earlier.

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Dentistry and Orthodontics