Dental Caries Treatment - 7 Most Advanced Methods

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Dental caries treatment: 7 modern methods

Dental caries treatment in modern dentistry is a painless and low-traumatic method. The disease is diagnosed during a dental examination, or when performing an X-ray of the tooth. Treatment should be carried out in accordance with the stage of caries development.

Modern dental practice offers progressive methods of combating caries, which most often make it possible to do without a drill. The advantage of such technologies is that it is possible to fight the caries themselves, without affecting healthy tooth tissues. These methods include: laser therapy, ultrasound therapy, ozone therapy, infiltration method, etc.

Content:

• Caries laser treatment
• Caries treatment by ICON method (Aikon)
• Ozone caries treatment
• Ultrasound therapy
• Caries gel
• Air-abrasive teeth treatment
• The most advanced caries treatments

Caries laser treatment

Caries treatment with a laser is carried out using a specialized device - a laser installation. In this case, the device itself does not contact the surface of the tooth. This ensures the sterility of the procedure. It is important that both the upper part of the root of the tooth and the bone tissue are sterilized, this minimizes the risk of any complications.

During treatment, the patient must wear special glasses on his eyes to protect the organs of vision from the negative effects of laser radiation. With the help of a beam, the doctor selectively processes carious tissues, forcing them to evaporate, while pathogenic microorganisms are completely destroyed.

Benefits of laser treatment for caries:

• The tooth is not exposed to vibration, its tissues are not overheated or destroyed as a result of exposure to the laser beam. In addition, it avoids additional painful sensations, especially in comparison with traditional therapy using a drill.
• The procedure is painless and does not require the administration of anesthetic. This makes it possible to avoid allergic reactions and other possible negative effects of the anesthetic on the body.
• The patient does not have to experience the psychological discomfort that may arise with the sound of a working drill.
• It is possible to treat teeth for both pregnant women and young patients.
• The procedure for treating cervical caries with a laser takes 40% less time compared to traditional methods.
• 100% sterilization avoids the formation of secondary caries.
• The impact is only on damaged tooth tissues, therefore, microcracks do not form in healthy tissues.

Disadvantages of laser caries treatment:

• The cost of this therapy is high compared to standard dental treatment with a drill.
• The dentist must undergo additional training, which also affects the final cost of the procedure.
• Work is carried out with tinted glasses, which impairs visibility.
• Deep carious cavities cannot be cured with a laser. A similar therapeutic method is suitable for the treatment of damaged enamel.
• There is a risk that the seal will fall out.
• The effect of a laser beam on the human body is not fully understood.
• Accidental damage to soft tissues takes a long time to recover. In this regard, the specialist must observe safety measures.

Caries treatment by ICON method (Aikon)

Caries treatment using the ICON method (Aikon) is one of the progressive methods of removing damaged tooth tissues. This procedure was first tested relatively recently - in 2009. For therapy, a special material is used that fills the pores of the dental tissue, and prevents destructive substances from exerting their pathogenic effect on dentin.

The essence of the procedure is to treat the affected tooth with Icon gel, after which a special infiltrate is applied to its surface and polymerized using light. As a result, the damaged surface is sealed, the carious process stops, the tooth retains its functions.

Benefits of ICON caries treatment:

• Healthy dental tissues are not damaged.
• There is an opportunity to stop the development of caries at the very initial stages of its development.
• The tooth after the procedure will not differ from healthy teeth.
• The tooth will retain its function.
• The procedure does not require anesthesia.
• One visit to the dentist's office is enough to get rid of superficial caries.
• The method is great for restoring teeth after wearing braces.
• The treatment procedure takes no more than 20 minutes.
• The cessation of the development of caries occurs for many years, which is confirmed by international studies.

Disadvantages of caries treatment using the Icon method:

• The price for the procedure is quite high.
• Caries treatment with this method is possible only at the stain stage. If deeper layers are affected, then the procedure will be ineffective.

Ozone caries treatment

Treatment of caries with ozone involves treating damaged surfaces with triatomic oxygen, which helps to destroy bacteria by almost 100%. Only a carious focus is subject to influence. Ozone has a destructive effect on microorganisms, breaking their membrane and thereby leading to inevitable cell death. Ozone has a similar effect not only on bacteria, but also on fungi and viruses. The technology was developed in Germany and eliminates the need for tooth drilling.

Before the start of disinfection, a cap made of silicone must be put on the tooth. With a special apparatus, all the air is pulled out from under the silicone cover, thus creating an environment close to vacuum. After that, ozone is supplied to the tooth, the time of its effect on the tissues is up to 30 seconds. Since the intact tooth tissues are resistant to oxidation, their destruction does not occur. Cervical caries lends itself well to ozone therapy.

Benefits of ozone treatment for dental caries:

• The patient does not experience any painful sensations during treatment.
• The technique does not require anesthesia or the use of a drill. Often it is the sound made when drilling a tooth that causes fear of the dentist's office.
• The method has proven itself in the treatment of children's teeth.
• The sterility of the procedure is close to 100%.
• Ozone therapy can act as a preventive method for both adults and children.
• The procedure is short in time and does not take more than 40 seconds.
• Ozone does not cause allergic reactions, does not irritate the oral mucosa.

Disadvantages of ozone treatment for caries:

• The price of the procedure is quite high, which is due to the cost of the equipment that needs to be purchased by the dental organization.
• Ozone therapy can only get rid of the initial caries.
• There is no possibility to install a filling after treating a tooth with ozone, since softened enamel and dentin remain unremoved.

Ultrasound therapy

Ultrasound therapy is aimed at removing dental deposits that contribute to the development of tooth decay. To perform the procedure, a special scaler apparatus is used. The ultrasonic vibration emanating from it causes the hard subgingival and supragingival particles to break down and flake off. As a result, pathogenic bacteria are destroyed, and the teeth become sterile.

It is especially effective with the help of ultrasound to influence the wisdom teeth. As a rule, they are difficult to reach, and for ultrasonic waves this is not a problem. The cleansing process takes an hour on average. In this case, the root canals are subject to treatment, plaque and stone are removed, the periodontal canals are washed. The completion of cleaning ends with polishing the enamel, which prevents the formation of new deposits for a long time.

Benefits of ultrasound therapy:

• Possibility of processing hard-to-reach places.
• No harm is caused to the tooth tissues, since there is no mechanical effect on the dental tissue.
• The procedure is painless and does not require anesthesia.

Disadvantages of ultrasound therapy:

• You cannot use the procedure with implants or other orthopedic structures.
• Contraindication is hypersensitivity of tooth enamel, heart and vascular disease, acute respiratory viral infections, diseases of the pulmonary system, hepatitis, HIV, diabetes mellitus, period of childbearing.

Caries gel

Caries gel is another modern way of dealing with damaged tooth tissues. Although this tool is at the testing stage, it will soon begin to be used in dentistry. The method of treatment is based on changing the genetics of the bacterium that contributes to the formation of carious cavities. After the gel is applied, the bacteria stops producing acid, which is harmful to dental tissue.

Most scientists have already recognized that the gel is a real breakthrough in dentistry, since it does not require a filling to eliminate tooth decay. The desired mixture is simply injected into the resulting hole and after 30 days it is overgrown. This is due to the peptides included in the gel, which stimulate tooth cell division.

Advantages of caries gel:

• The nerves and canals of the tooth remain intact.
• There is a possibility of caries prevention.
• It is possible to refuse to install crowns.
• The gel can be used to treat at home.

The gel has only one drawback - it has not yet been launched into mass production, since the experiments were carried out only on mice. Nevertheless, scientists are full of hopes for the successful completion of their experiment, as reported in their scientific article published in the journal ACS Nano.

Air-abrasive teeth treatment

Air-abrasive dental treatment is a method of caries treatment, which is carried out thanks to the effect of not a drill, but using a special sandblasting machine. Dentists, as it were, "knock out" surface caries, acting on it with air currents with admixtures of aluminum oxide. The stream is delivered in pulses, for 5-10 seconds for each approach.

The power of the jet is sufficient to remove softened tissues, but at the same time it is not enough to harm the healthy layers of the tooth.

Advantages of air-abrasive teeth treatment:

• The likelihood of secondary caries is excluded.
• The procedure is painless and safe.
• No anesthesia is required.
• The tooth does not heat up.
• There is no noise or vibration during the procedure.
• The risk of microcracking is minimal.

Disadvantages of air-abrasive teeth treatment:

• Deep caries cannot be treated with a jet of impure air. In this case, you will still need to process the tooth with a drill.
• There is no possibility of jet treatment of hard-to-reach places, since the tip simply cannot be brought to them.
• There is a possibility of increased tooth sensitivity in the future.

The most advanced caries treatments

• Lollipops Dr. John's Herbal Candy. Microbiologist W. Shi from the University of California has invented a method for making sweets that not only do not harm the teeth, but also help get rid of caries.

  The composition of his candy contains components that have a detrimental effect on the bacteria that provoke the development of caries. At the same time, the beneficial microflora present in the oral cavity does not suffer at all. No scientist has yet been able to achieve such selectivity in composition.

• Trays from the Fluorinex company for dental treatment. The company Fluorinex, based in Israel, has developed its original method of fighting tooth decay. Their apparatus allows, after just one treatment, to protect teeth from the formation of carious cavities for the next 5 years.

  The device resembles a bath, which in the amount of 4 pieces are placed in the patient's mouth. Two of them process the upper teeth and two of the lower teeth. The first bath contains a solution with which the teeth are treated for 60 seconds. The teeth are then placed in a second gel bath, anode and cathode powered by a removable battery. By acting on the teeth with a weak voltage, the device promotes the start of an electrochemical reaction, which replaces hydroxide ions with fluorite ions. As a result, a protective layer is formed on the surface of the teeth, which lasts for five years. It is he who protects them from any harmful effects that can lead to tooth decay.

  Naturally, the teeth must be cured before treatment, so this method is not suitable for home use.

Also in modern stamotology the following methods of dental treatment are used:

• Dental implantation
• Dental prosthetics
• Teeth veneers
• Restoration of tooth enamel

The author of the article: Muravitsky Boris Viktorovich, dentist, especially for the website ayzdorov.ru