Houston Micro-Dentistry
A new dental technology called micro-dentistry uses special tools like dyes and air abrasion to detect, and remove tiny areas of tooth decay. Micro-dentistry was developed in response to municipalities putting fluoride in city water supplies. This was done to purify water of bacterial agents that could and did cause widespread tooth decay (and other ailments) in entire populations.
While the introduction of fluoride into municipal water supplies solved the problem of pandemic tooth decay, it had the secondary effect of changing the nature of tooth enamel itself. Fluoride hardens the surface of tooth enamel and makes it resistant to the formation of larger cavities. This does not prevent tooth decay completely, however. It simply changes the way tooth decay develops. Before introduction fluoride was introduced into water supplies, cavities normally struck the exposed grooves in the surface of a tooth. These cavities were very easy to detect with a dental explorer (the small metal probe used in general dentistry) and standard film dental x-rays. Everything is different now. The changes in enamel structure caused by fluoride in public drinking have caused cavities to be much smaller and difficult to diagnose than ever before. Micro-dentistry has been developed as a response to effectively counter this problem.
What now happens when a cavity forms is tooth decay penetrates what appears to be perfectly strong, intact tooth enamel. Cavities can then penetrate the softer dentin level underneath the outer surface of the tooth. If standard treatments are used, dentists have to detect (if they can) and treat these cavities very early on while they’re still in hard outer enamel layer. If a cavity reaches the inner dentin layer, it grows much more rapidly, and if it is not dealt with and stopped, it will infect the pulp and begin to kill the tooth root. This is where micro-dentistry has stepped in to provide some amazing alternatives to treatments (such as root canals or even tooth extractions) that would cost people a great deal of pain and money.
Micro-dentistry begins with the applications of a red or green dye that stains the teeth and reveals areas of decay. The dentist then uses air abrasion to gently clean the pits in dental enamel and to expand the narrow grooves in teeth so that we can better test the surface for the presence of any decay. By using much smaller instruments than those employed in regular dentistry, we can then repair the damaged tooth surface with a dental bonding compound or sealant
One big advantage offered by Micro-dentistry is its ability to remove only the smallest possible amount of tooth structure and when removing tooth decay. It is also a painless procedure that should require no anesthetic.
While the introduction of fluoride into municipal water supplies solved the problem of pandemic tooth decay, it had the secondary effect of changing the nature of tooth enamel itself. Fluoride hardens the surface of tooth enamel and makes it resistant to the formation of larger cavities. This does not prevent tooth decay completely, however. It simply changes the way tooth decay develops. Before introduction fluoride was introduced into water supplies, cavities normally struck the exposed grooves in the surface of a tooth. These cavities were very easy to detect with a dental explorer (the small metal probe used in general dentistry) and standard film dental x-rays. Everything is different now. The changes in enamel structure caused by fluoride in public drinking have caused cavities to be much smaller and difficult to diagnose than ever before. Micro-dentistry has been developed as a response to effectively counter this problem.
What now happens when a cavity forms is tooth decay penetrates what appears to be perfectly strong, intact tooth enamel. Cavities can then penetrate the softer dentin level underneath the outer surface of the tooth. If standard treatments are used, dentists have to detect (if they can) and treat these cavities very early on while they’re still in hard outer enamel layer. If a cavity reaches the inner dentin layer, it grows much more rapidly, and if it is not dealt with and stopped, it will infect the pulp and begin to kill the tooth root. This is where micro-dentistry has stepped in to provide some amazing alternatives to treatments (such as root canals or even tooth extractions) that would cost people a great deal of pain and money.
Micro-dentistry begins with the applications of a red or green dye that stains the teeth and reveals areas of decay. The dentist then uses air abrasion to gently clean the pits in dental enamel and to expand the narrow grooves in teeth so that we can better test the surface for the presence of any decay. By using much smaller instruments than those employed in regular dentistry, we can then repair the damaged tooth surface with a dental bonding compound or sealant
One big advantage offered by Micro-dentistry is its ability to remove only the smallest possible amount of tooth structure and when removing tooth decay. It is also a painless procedure that should require no anesthetic.
Labels: air abrasion, cavities, dental dyes, fluoride, micro-dentistry, tooth decay, tooth enamel
posted by Dental Expert at
12:24 PM
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