Drillings and fillings at the dentist's are always dreadful and make tooth decay treatment very unpleasant.
But British scientists have developed a new approach of fixing tooth decay, which could get rid of all the drillings, injections and fillings -- and unpleasantness, a press release by King's College London (KCL) said on Monday.
Dentists normally treat caries in a tooth by drilling to remove the decay and filling the tooth with a material such as amalgam or composite resin. But scientists at King's College London (KCL) took a different approach, one that re-builds the tooth and heals it without the need for drills, needles or amalgam.
By accelerating the natural process by which calcium and phosphate minerals re-enter the tooth to repair a defect, the device boosts the tooth's natural repair process.
The new method could be in use at the dentist's chair in the next 3 years, according to researchers.
The two-step method first prepares the damaged part of the enamel outer layer of the tooth, then uses a tiny electric current to 'push' minerals into the tooth to repair the damaged site. The defect is remineralised in a painless process that requires no drills, no injections and no filling materials.
Electric currents are already used by dentists to check the pulp or nerve of a tooth; the new device uses a far smaller current than that currently used on patients and which cannot be felt by the patient.
Professor Nigel Pitts from KCL said: "Not only is our device kinder to the patient and better for their teeth, but it's expected to be at least as cost-effective as current dental treatments. Along with fighting tooth decay, our device can also be used to whiten teeth."
Source: Xinhua
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |