The dreaded dentist drill could become a thing of the past. A new technology in the works can spot tooth decay almost as soon as it starts. It uses Raman Spectroscopy and promises to reduce the need for drilling and filling. The new treatment is painless and uses a tiny optical fiber. Researchers say the machine scatters light differently when a tooth is decaying. The procedure takes about 30 seconds and the patient has to remain very still. It could be in your dentist office anytime in the next five years.
Raman Spectroscopy
[BayNews9]
“A preliminary study at King’s College London, where the technique is being developed, found that chemical changes in the tooth could be detected by analysing how light is scattered when a laser is fired at the tooth. Researchers were able to tell healthy teeth from carious teeth because bacteria, responsible for the decay, scatter light in a different way to healthy teeth.
But how is dental decay detected today? “Currently, decaying teeth are uncovered either by visual examination or the use of x-rays, but usually by then, the damage has been done and the decayed area must be drilled out. But Dr Steven Hogg, a microbiologist at Newcastle University’s dental school, confirms that it is possible to repair teeth with a special mouthwash or fluoride varnish if dental decay is caught early enough.”
It really looks like that these research works might really mean the end for the dreaded dentist drill and that we should be less frightened by our dentists in the future than today.
[ZDNet]
Good thing they are doing the tests in London first, because we know how pretty those British teeth are... Yipes.
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