Everyone knows what kind of trouble the presence of caries gives a person. This disease, depending on the stage of its development, can lead to problems of varying severity, from minor discomfort to complete destruction of the tooth. However, many still do not rush to the dentist at the first symptoms of caries, because a visit to the dentist is often associated with something unpleasant. Indeed, in the classical treatment of caries with a drill and a drill, there is little pleasant. But modern medicine does not stand still. And if the need arises for the treatment of caries, dentistry now has a huge selection of comfortable, effective and safe methods, which we will now get acquainted with.
Causes and stages of caries development
Caries is the process of destruction of he althy dental tissue due to poor oral hygiene and malnutrition. Remaining food in the mouthprovoke the reproduction of bacteria in the oral cavity, and the products of their vital activity destroy the enamel of the teeth. Stages of development of caries:
- The stage of a carious spot. This is a small white or yellow spot on the surface of the tooth, which indicates a lack of nutrients in the tooth tissue. The enamel is not yet damaged, but there is a clear predisposition to this.
- Superficial form of caries. The tooth enamel is already damaged, but the damage is minor, the internal tissue of the tooth remains intact. But the treatment already requires a filling.
- The average form of caries. The destruction and decay of the tooth already goes beyond the limits of the tooth enamel and affects the dentin. At the same time, the nerves and blood vessels, as well as the roots of the tooth, are not damaged.
- Deep form of caries is damage not only to dentin, but also to nerves, blood vessels, and also to the root of the tooth. As a rule, it is accompanied by severe, almost unbearable pain.
It should answer the question of whether it hurts to treat caries. Currently, the treatment is either completely painless or performed under local anesthesia, so there is no need to be afraid of pain.
Classic caries treatment
Classic treatment of caries involves drilling the entire affected tissue with a drill, followed by filling. This treatment is called invasive. Its advantage is that you can clean the tooth from the deepest caries, and some types of caries can still be cured only in this way. How invasive treatment is performed:
- First for evaluationthe depth of the affected area is X-rayed.
- After the depth of the lesion has been assessed by the dentist, the appropriate anesthesia is selected based on patient interviews.
- The entire affected area of the tooth is treated. The centers are drilled, polished. If necessary, the nerve is removed and the root canals are cleaned.
- If the caries is in a deep form, then an insulating lining is often selected under the seal.
- A filling previously adjusted to the anatomical features of the patient's tooth is inserted into the empty and cleaned area of the tooth.
- Tooth grinding and fillings. Give the filling a natural shape.
For all its merits, this method of treatment also has some disadvantages. Invasive intervention can lead to the loss of a large amount of he althy dental tissue. For example, in the invasive treatment of caries that occurs between teeth, the ratio between the volume of the affected area and the he althy tissue removed is very unfavorable. There are more modern methods of caries treatment that allow you to cure a tooth with less loss.
Infiltration method in caries treatment
Caries infiltration is a relatively recent method of treatment, which consists in the chemical etching of carious areas of the tooth and their replacement with infiltrate - a substance that is very similar in mechanical and aesthetic characteristics to he althy tooth enamel. The significant advantages of this method include simplicity, the absence of discomfort, minimizing the loss of he althy tissue, andalso treatment of initial forms of caries in places that are hard to reach for classical treatment.
However, this method is not suitable for all types of tooth decay. For deeper forms of caries, infiltration is no longer suitable.
Treatment steps:
- Etching the carious surface.
- Drying the work area.
- Actually infiltration. Filling the tooth with a viscous material that hardens and takes shape.
Infiltration is often used as an alternative to classic drilling in pediatric dentistry, as it is completely painless for the treatment of caries in primary teeth.
Ozone therapy in the treatment of caries
Ozone therapy or ozonation is a therapy that involves the use of ozone, which is generated using a special ozonator device. Ozone has very useful properties in dental practice: bactericidal, healing, hemostatic, antioxidant, etc. It is an excellent natural antiseptic.
Steps of ozone treatment:
- Sealing the affected tooth with a special silicone cap and vacuum exposure.
- Ozonization itself is the supply of ozone to the affected area, which destroys all pathogenic microflora in a short time due to the destruction of cell membranes.
- Saturation of tooth tissues with fluorine and oxygen.
This type of therapy is also suitable for the initial stages of caries development. Sometimes ozone therapy is also used in the treatment of deep caries, but in this case it is combined with invasive therapy.
Sandblasting treatment of carious areas
It is also a way to treat dental caries without drilling. Reviews about this method appeared not so long ago and are generally positive.
Sandblaster - a device designed for cold abrasive processing of the tooth surface by spraying the abrasive using a pressurized air stream. The meaning of this therapy is that the tissue affected by caries inside the tooth is softer than he althy, and under the influence of an abrasive supplied under pressure, the damaged tissue is simply knocked out of the tooth body.
This method of dental treatment is sometimes even more effective than a drill, because with such an impact, the occurrence of cracks is excluded, and consequently, the development of secondary caries at the site of tooth treatment. In this way, both deep caries and superficial ones can be treated. In fact, the cleansing method is similar to the classic one, but is more gentle. True, it is not suitable for all teeth. In hard-to-reach places, invasive treatment is still recommended.
Laser caries treatment
Laser treatment is one type of non-drilling caries treatment that has received mostly positive reviews. The laser unit is suitable for the elimination of almost any type of caries, including deep forms, as well as for cleaning dental canals, the inflammation of which is fraught with these same forms. Laser destroys andthe entire affected surface of the tooth is removed. At the same time, the big advantage of the method is that he althy tissue remains intact. Also, the advantage of laser therapy for caries is that it is practically painless, does not cause discomfort, and takes place much faster in time than treatment with a drill.
The disadvantage of this method of treatment of dental caries can be called its injury risk. When working with a laser, the doctor and patient need to protect their eyes with special glasses, which may reduce the visual ability of the doctor. This is fraught with causing minor damage to the soft tissues of the gums. But if safety precautions are observed when working with a laser, these manifestations are minimized. Also, many cite the relatively high price of laser therapy for caries as a disadvantage.
Caries Gel
A method that seems fantastic is the use of innovative dental materials in the treatment of dental caries. This method of treatment is not yet widely used and is used only in the framework of scientific research. However, it has already been announced, and it is likely that such a dental practice will soon be available to everyone. A caries gel is a substance that chemically changes the DNA of a bacterium in a tooth cavity, and the bacterium stops producing acid, which contributes to the further development of caries. The gel does not require filling, it is simply injected into the tooth cavity, which over time heals on its own. Dentists call this method a real breakthrough in dental treatment. Butwhile this is an experimental method, which is now being actively tested in scientific laboratories.
Ultrasound Therapy
Ultrasonic cleaning is a common means of preventing carious formations. Although superficial caries can sometimes be cured in combination with fluoridation, more often with the help of an ultrasound machine, plaque is cleaned. Ultrasound is absolutely safe for tooth enamel, while actively fighting both soft and hard plaque on the teeth, cleaning them in the most inaccessible places, eliminating all known bacteria that contribute to the further development of caries. Dentists recommend cleaning every six months or a year. The disadvantage of this procedure is the presence of a large number of contraindications. This cleaning is not used in cases where the patient has prostheses, orthopedic structures, and some types of fillings. Also, you cannot brush your teeth with ultrasound if the patient has such features and he alth disorders as:
- Increased sensitivity of tooth enamel.
- ARVI.
- Lung diseases.
- Diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
- Presence of pacemakers.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- HIV infection.
- Also, ultrasonic cleaning is undesirable during pregnancy.
Using non-invasive treatments for caries in primary teeth in children
Children's caries, like an adult, must be treated. Even if milk teeth, which manyparents perceive as temporary, the presence of damage negatively affects the general condition of the child. This is, firstly, the presence of a constant focus of infection in the body. Secondly, it is the cause of premature destruction and loss of a milk tooth, which can adversely affect the aesthetic appearance of the dentition after the appearance of permanent teeth. You should regularly take your child to the dentist and destroy the beginnings of caries in the very first stages of its development. Methods for treating the initial forms of caries in children do not differ much from the treatment of adults, they are safe and effective, and also do not cause psychological discomfort in the baby.
Of course, the sooner you make a visit to the dentist, the less discomfort your baby will experience, the better an adequate attitude to taking care of his he alth will form.
If the caries of milk teeth is in the initial stage, the teeth are simply treated with fluoride-containing pastes, and a preparation containing silver ions is also applied. This will nourish the tooth with essential minerals and protect it from further decay. Cases where caries in a child in the superficial and middle stages, as well as some cases of initial tooth damage in hard-to-reach places, are successfully treated by infiltration. With deeper forms of caries, classical or laser therapy is indicated. In this case, a filling is also performed, but the filling materials for children differ from the classic filling for adults. Nevertheless, such a filling helps prevent further caries formation and allows the baby tooth to live safely until it is replaced.indigenous.
Modern methods of caries prevention in children and adults
We have considered possible methods of treating dental caries, but still, if caries has not yet appeared, a good solution would be to take care of preventing its development. To prevent caries from developing, sometimes it is enough just to follow a diet, competently clean the oral cavity from plaque and undergo preventive visits to the dentist. If there is a predisposition to dental caries due to the anatomical structure or other features, the dentist can recommend you special prevention methods that will protect your teeth from damage and destruction with a high probability. Then you will not need to explain to the child whether it is painful to treat caries, and even ask yourself such a question. Let's take a look at some of them.
- Fissure sealing. It is most often applied to children who have just grown permanent teeth, if the teeth require constant attention from the dentist or if the recesses in children's molars are too pronounced. All this creates a favorable environment for the development of pathogenic microflora. Fissure sealants are also sometimes performed in adults with appropriate indications. The essence of the procedure is that the grooves and cavities that are on the tooth are filled with a special solution, which, hardening, forms a reliable protection of the tooth from external influences. As a result, even not very well-cleaned teeth will still be less vulnerable to acid secreted by oral bacteria. The disadvantage of the procedure is thatthat teeth that have undergone sealing acquire a characteristic pinkish hue. Therefore, this procedure is performed on molars and rarely on anterior teeth.
- Fluoridation of teeth with special compounds is carried out if the enamel is thin and prone to destruction. Due to the effect of drugs, the enamel is strengthened and becomes more resistant to damage.
- Toothpastes that treat caries can be recommended by your dentist if there are preconditions for the development of caries, for example, tooth enamel is too thin.
- Silver teeth are sometimes recommended for children. As well as fissure sealing, it reliably protects the enamel from destruction, but unlike sealing, silvering is applied mainly to milk teeth. The disadvantages include the acquisition of black teeth, which is not very attractive from an aesthetic point of view, as well as the need for frequent repetition of the procedure.
So, we examined the causes of caries, ways to treat caries in children and adults, and found that, in addition to the classical drilling method, modern medicine has a lot of working tools in its arsenal. And the most important thing in oral care is the constant monitoring of the condition of your teeth, regular visits to the dentist and the treatment of caries, if possible, at the earliest stages of its inception. This will save you not only from the loss and destruction of teeth, but also from the need to drill a tooth, which for many people is an additional source of stress. But at the same time, you should not devalue the old methods of treatment, especiallymodern drills are designed in such a way that they cause inconvenience to a minimum. They are silent, have in their arsenal a lot of nozzles that allow you to drill fabrics as accurately as possible. And modern dentistry is a high-tech science that will allow you to keep he althy teeth until your very old age.
