Dentists are among the most feared professionals, especially among children. Personally speaking, once I start thinking about dentists, I can’t get that high frequency drilling sensation out of my mind! In case your tooth is not fully decayed, but is just starting to go bad, there’s hope yet.
Some British scientists have come up with a procedure to rebuild the enamel on your teeth, which doesn’t involve any drilling. EAER or “Electrically Assisted Enhanced Remineralisation” can help restore the protective hard covering on the tooth and thus prevent the cavity from becoming too deep. That should prevent nightmarish fillings and root canal procedures!
Naturally our teeth are supposed to repair themselves by replenishing the minerals in the enamel. However, in today’s world of candies, sugar and bread the bacteria just get too much food to be stopped in time. They produce a lot of acid which damages the enamel further. So, we are faced with two options:
- Stop eating refined foods.
- Brush and flush our teeth immediately after each meal (and candy and cola).
Just in case there are signs of minor tooth decay – little dark spots on your tooth that don’t go away – this new technique will come in handy. It is purported to be completely painless, and involves cleaning out the tooth to remove the minor decay. Then it is flushed with a solution of minerals and an electric pulse is used to push the minerals inside the damaged portion. After this, the natural process of re-mineralization happens, in which the enamel is made stronger using minerals and food particles.
Unlike the temporary and highly painful nature of drilling and filling a cavity, this EAER procedure is permanent. Unless of course you get lax about food items and cleaning your teeth after meals. Even then, it should be cheaper and painless. One thing to keep in mind is that if the cavity in your tooth becomes deep, this won’t work. It is just for enamel damage.
Cleaning teeth using a brush, toothpaste and floss is a good way to avoid all this trouble. Some of us get lazy and don’t clean them after meals. Not even at night. Dental insurance is something we can avoid having to use!
Another way to keep your teeth clean is by avoiding refined food. The non-fiber starch sticks to our teeth and creates an ideal environment for bacteria and other germs to feast on. They start building an army which produces harmful acids that damage our tooth enamel by pulling away minerals. This opens the gateway to the soft pulp, connective tissue or blood vessels inside our teeth. 8-O
Having personally had several teeth filled over a couple of decades, I can definitely attest to the psychological trauma NOT keeping your teeth can cause :mrgreen:
Do share your dental anecdotes with us, and share this news with your friends!