Imagine a world where electrical currents and lasers repair your teeth, instead of the dreaded drill. Is it too good to be true? Think again.
1. The Solea Laser was introduced in December 2013 and is now being used at Gallery 57 Dental. It is the first dental laser to gain approval by the Food and Drug Administration for use on both hard tissue, such as teeth, and soft tissue, or gums.
Patients can experience a needle free, pain free and drill free trip to the dentist. The laser is used instead of a drill to perform routine procedures such as filling cavities and shaving teeth to be fitted for crowns. It also has a numbing effect enabling dentists to skip anesthesia in 96% of cases.
2.The Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced Remineralisation (EAER) will be available within three years and was developed at King’s College London. It uses electrical currents to boost the natural repair process thereby reversing decay. Not only is this device gentle on the teeth, but it’s also expected to be as cost effective as current dental treatments.
3. Low power light triggering stem cells inside the body is a futuristic technique being worked on by a Harvard-led research team. The team used a low power laser to trigger human dental stem cells to form dentin, the hard tissue that is similar to bone and makes up the bulk of teeth. This research lays the foundation for clinical applications in restorative dentistry, regenerative medicine, and more.
Around 2.3 billion people suffer from tooth decay every year. Will a less painful and intrusive way to treat dental problems encourage more people to seek treatment? For sure!
