Air Abrasion: an alternative to the dental drill
February 8, 2010 by Doug Larson
Filed under Children, Featured, Our Services
How does Air Abrasion work?
As an alternative to the standard dental drill, air abrasion, or “micro-abrasion,” removes decayed tooth structure. Analogous to the sandblasting which cleans graffiti from walls,
Air abrasion requires no anesthetic!
air abrasion propels a stream of fine aluminum oxide particles onto the tooth to strip its surface of decay.
Advantages of Air Abrasion
The explorer points to decay in groove of the tooth.
Most commonly, air abrasion prepares decayed teeth for composite fillings, restoration placement, or sealants. Minor cracks and discolorations may also be remedied with this technique.
Quiet and painless, air abrasion safeguards soft tissues and needs no anesthetic. This precise technology also preserves significantly more of your tooth reducing the risk of micro-fractures in the enamel.
Who can use air abrasion?
All the decay has been removed.
Micro-abrasion is suitable for virtually all patients. Children, especially, may prefer this technique in lieu of traditional procedures with anesthesia and a noisy dental drill. Air abrasion, however, cannot be employed in treatments such as crowns, bridges, and deep fillings. After the procedure, simply rinsing with water will remove the accumulation of dusty particle residue in the patient’s mouth.
