ir abrasion is one of
the more recent innovations in dentistry to date. A simple description is that
it is similar to sandblasting but on a miniature scale.
Air abrasion has proven so safe that the Food & Drug Administration has
approved it for use on children and pregnant women.
A thin stream of inert aluminum oxide particles are driven by compressed
air to spray away decayed tooth material. It offers pinpoint precision
so that only decayed material needs to be removed.
When used with
Composite Fillings which bond readily
to clean tooth surfaces, far less tooth is lost over conventional filling
methods.
Air abrasion is so non-invasive that if the pulp or the root of the tooth
is not exposed, then freezing is not even required. Patients who have
experienced air abrasion say it feels and sounds like air being blown
across the tooth. The procedure is so quick that many patients voiced
surprise when the procedure of filling the tooth was begun.
A drawback to conventional drills, is that they are accompanied by heavy
vibration which can cause hairline fractures in the tooth that is being
repaired. There is also a size factor. Room must be created for the drill
so that the decayed material can be reached and generally healthy tooth
material is lost in the process of cleaning all of the decay away.
Some procedures will still require the use of a conventional drill, but
as much as possible, air abrasion should be the technology that is used.
If you have any questions about air abrasion, please feel free to call
our office and we will work to answer all of your questions.
Call: 1 (860) 668-0241
A thin stream of inert aluminum oxide particles are driven by compressed
area to spray away areas of tooth decay.
