Air Abrasion Dentistry

Over the past several years, widespread use of fluoride has made the outer enamel of the tooth more decay resistant. Unfortunately small nooks and crannies on the chewing surface are still susceptible to decay. They are often smaller than a single toothbrush bristle, making it difficult to completely clean the tooth. When decay reaches the softer dentin it frequently blooms into a large cavity. By the time this decay is detected it is deep within the tooth and has the potential to cause damage to the nerve.

Air Abrasion Dentistry is a conservative, less traumatic alternative to the high-speed drill. It allows your dentist to selectively remove decay, leaving healthier tooth structure. The procedure can often be done without anaesthesia. Without this needing to be done you will have fewer visits because we can often do more than one cavity restoration at a time. Air abrasion can help us find hidden decay. The very fine and narrow abrasive stream can remove just the stain and debris in the fissures of your teeth. Once these areas are clean, a special cavity-detecting dye will be applied to show if there is any decay which is actively destroying tooth structure. We can use air abrasion to remove this decay but depending on how big it is a small slow-speed bur will be used as well.