What is Air Abrasion and How Is It Used in Dentistry?

Have you considered the ways that modern dentistry will impact your dental health? The more progress we make in technology, the more advancements invade medicine. The good news is that dental procedures keep getting better with time, thanks to the introduction of new tools and newer approaches to dental treatments. For instance, instead of the traditional dental drill, dentists today use air abrasion dentistry to repair and restore teeth’ enamels.

What Is Air Abrasion in Dentistry?

It is a non-mechanical technique that dentists in Holmdel use to remove carious tooth structures. Air abrasion dental protocols involve kinetic energy channeled through a special handpiece that releases a narrow stream of moving aluminum-oxide particles. When the particles reach the tooth structure, they remove any carious portion without any noise, vibration, or heat. In simpler terms, air abrasion near you, also called microabrasion, is a process of removing dental decay from your natural tooth without using a dental drill. The procedure works best for removing small portions of dental decay, usually during the early onset of dental caries.

How Is It Used in Dentistry?

At Dipika T. Shah, DDS, LLC, dentists typically use air abrasion as an alternative to the traditional dental drill. In modern dentistry, air abrasion continues to be useful for improving the effectiveness, precision, and speed of dental work. While the primary way that dentists use dental air abrasion is to remove tooth cavities, it is not the only use for this approach. Any dental procedure that would require removing part of your tooth enamel can rely on air abrasion. Dentists have used air abrasion several times when preparing teeth for dental crowns or tooth veneers. For such procedures, the dentist will have to fine-tune the parameters of the air abrasion tool to release a controlled velocity that will manage the amount of enamel removed.

Is Air Abrasion Dentistry Safe?

Some patients get a little skeptical when dentists employ new tools or approaches to treating them. However, just because it is new and modern does not mean it is a bad idea. Air abrasion dentistry is completely safe for performing various dental procedures. The aluminum-oxide particles that hit your toot structure are non-toxic to your teeth and mouth. Besides, dental experts employ other measures to ensure that the particles do not cause any harm to your health. For instance, your dentist will have you wear protective eye gear to cover your eyes from the particles that may irritate. Besides that, a dental assistant will constantly use a suction tool to remove excess particles from your mouth as your dentist continues the treatment.

What Are the Advantages of Air Abrasion Dentistry?

Now that you know that air abrasion dentistry is safe for you, consider the following benefits:

1. Painless procedure – you will not feel any vibration, heat, or pain when your dentist is using the air abrasion instrument.
2. Relatively simple procedure – the technicalities involved with traditional dental drills are no longer there with air abrasion dentistry.
3. No need for numbing since the air abrasion approach is so gentle – you may not need local anesthesia to numb your mouth before your treatment, especially if the cavity is shallow. Your dentist will only recommend it if you are already having dental pain due to dental damage or infection.
4. Quiet and comfortable treatment with no pain, needles, or vibration to worry about – you will enjoy a quiet and comfortable procedure. You will not have to battle dental anxiety during your treatment.
5. Increased precision – the dentist is less likely to cause any fractures to your tooth enamel when targeting a particular portion of your tooth with the air abrasion tool. The increased precision significantly reduces damage to healthy parts of your enamels.
6. Quick procedures – the higher the precision, the faster and more efficient the dentist gets at offering treatments.

Summary

Ultimately, it is up to your dentist to determine the best tool and approach to treating your dental needs. If you have some concerns about air abrasion dentistry, talk to your dentist beforehand. (S)he should help put your mind at ease by explaining the concept of the treatment and why it is necessary for you.