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Drill-Less Dentistry

PrepStart Air Abrasion

PrepStart Air Abrasion machineAir abrasion is a delicate method to remove tooth decay. It blows a precise airstream of tiny, fine aluminum oxide particles out of its tip across the decayed area of the tooth. Because air abrasion is very precise, it is very conservative because it removes less tooth than a conventional dental drill. Treatment time is usually shorter and often can be used without Novocain. Air abrasion may not be applicable in all situations.

Why use Air Abrasion for Cavity Preparation?

For many patients, the thought of going to the dentist evokes the whining sound of the dreaded drill and the sudden twinges of pain when the dentist explores around a cavity. It is no wonder that an estimated 75 percent of adults fear the dentist. Children are not born afraid of the dentist but often have unpleasant experiences or are inadvertently taught by others to be afraid. Dental air abrasion changes all of this. Dental air abrasion is a good alternative for all patients, especially young children and nervous/elderly patients who have more fear than tooth decay

After practicing dentistry for more than 20 years, identifying truly useful dental technologies for the general practice of dentistry has become much easier. Air Abrasion and Adhesion Dentistry are two such technologies with many advantages for dentists and their patients.

Air abrasion is actually an older technology, and attempts to use it for dentistry pre-date high-speed rotary instruments by more than a decade. Dental air abrasion is essentially a miniature Intra-oral sandblaster that produces a closely collimated stream of air and abrasive particles that efficiently removes tooth structure and tooth decay in a gentle but very efficient manner, doing the same job as the conventional drill without the side effects of vibration, noise, heat or pressure.

Air abrasion, in conjunction with microdentistry, has opened up a whole new method of treatment for patients that preserves far more tooth structure than was ever previously possible, with greater patient comfort and superior aesthetics. The resulting preparations and surfaces are also far better prepared to receive and retain bonded restorations compared with traditional methods of preparation. Air abrasion eliminates the needless destruction of sound tooth structure associated with traditional restorative techniques, while leaving the tooth ideally conditioned for the beneficial caries-inhibiting and strengthening properties of bonded restorations. What you dread most isn't the pain. Local anesthesia takes care of that. What patients dread is "the drill." which is eliminated.