Taking care of tooth decay used to be a messy and painful business. To drill teeth dentists would numb the patient, and then would drill out the decayed part of the tooth, along with healthy parts of the tooth that were too close for the drill to handle. Thanks to air abrasion, drilling is no longer a problem.
Air abrasion is a new technique that is used at Milpitas Dental. Air abrasion uses a tool that is like a sand blaster. It blasts a fine stream of particles, made from silica, aluminum oxide, or a baking soda mixture; at the decayed area of the tooth. This dental tool removes small areas of decay at a time, maximizing the amount of healthy tooth that is left.
There are many advantages to air abrasion than there are to drilling teeth. The tool generates no heat, sound, pressure or vibration. This makes it possible for the dentist to use less anesthetics on the patients. Air abrasion is best for children who have dental fears who also have minimal decay. This new technique cannot be used on deep cavities, because some studies have shown that the air moving the particles will make the tooth extra sensitive to air afterwards. Air abrasion can be used on shallow cavitites, and dentists can fix multiple sites of tooth decay in one visit.
A Milpitas cosmetic dentist would use this tool when cleaning out tooth decay because it reduces the risk of chipping or cracking the tooth, unlike the drill. Air abrasions can also be used to remove stains or discoloration caused from dark liquids like red wine and coffee. It is a simple and quick procedure that will produce a longer lasting and brighter smile. If you feel like your teeth aren't the brilliant white like you would like don't hesitate to look into getting your dentist to whiten them.