The non-traumatic alternative to the high-speed handpiece.
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.
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 ( like the PrepStart from Danville ) 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 has many advantages for both the dentist and the patient. It is silent, fast, and cost effective. It produces no “burning” odors, no handpiece whine, no vibration, no pressure and no heat. Multiple quadrants can be treated in a single visit and most often it can be use without any local anesthetics. For these reasons, it is considered the most efficient method to remove tooth decay and prepare a tooth surface for adhesive dental materials.
Content courtesy of Danville.