Dreaded Dentist Drill could be out of a job

Wednesday 20th January 2010

We’ve all been there, gripping the side of the chair until our knuckles go white, our heartbeat quickening at the sound of that dreaded drill…but fear no more as scientists have just revealed a plasma jet that does the same job but without the pain. Not only that but the jet boasts credentials of being able to eradicate the tooth decay within 20 seconds and without the grating noise and pain most of us associate with the dentist.  

The publication of February’s edition of the Journal of Medical Microbiology brings this pioneering news from scientists in Germany and Leipzig who believe they could have found the key to reducing the eradication of tooth decay in a much quicker and more efficient way. Traditionally, dental tooth fillings involve drilling out excess decay from our teeth and replacing this with a filling, but the effects never seem permanent as bacteria continue to penetrate tooth enamel causing cavities. If this isn’t treated quickly enough the tooth will continue to rot into a state of disrepair before falling out and possibly spreading infection into the gums. However, this new jet would project plasma beams at the structure underneath the tooth enamel, the dentin, eliminating the tooth decay without drilling a hole into the tooth. Not only that, but the subjection of plasma beams onto the tooth is thought to reduce the amount of bacteria there by nearly 10,000 times. The plasma itself is a kind of electrically charged gas that is controlled with electrical fields; but this plasma jet is very fine which means no damage will be caused to any of the gums blood vessels.

The studies and tests conducted by these scientists has meant a vastly progressively leap in the dentistry world, and people should expect to see these plasma jets within their dentists in the next 3 years. With bacteria blasted away within 20 seconds, dentists will no doubt find us queuing up outside the doors to have our fillings as opposed to dragging us out from under the chair. 

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