Innovative Pain-Free Alternative for the Dreaded Dentist Drill

Researchers from the University of Missouri in the US have come up quite recently with an innovative device which might replace the dreaded drill in so many dental practices.

This device is called the NAPB- or a non-thermal argon plasma brush, and this is going to eliminate any kind of dental pain while drilling, plus the dental filling will last up to 60% more than the traditional fillings.

If a classic filling lasts up to 10 years, the filling done after cleaning the cavity with the NAPB will last even up to 16 or 17 years.

When the dentists use this device, this will shoot out some particles which are electrically charged, and all the bacteria are going to be killed. Generally, tooth decay is the result of the acids formed by bacteria, which penetrate the tooth enamel.

These acids are basically “burning” the tooth enamel and slowly destroy it. One of the main causes of pain when the dentist uses the traditional drill, is because the enamel is the toughest material and it’s quite difficult to penetrate.

The drill is usually set to a strong vibrating mode, and the dentist will penetrate this enamel to clean up the rotted tooth area. However, the drill might get easily to the tooth pulp and this is the area which is filled with sensitive nerves.

When the drill gets nearby these nerves, a throbbing, sharp pain will be sensed by the patient. And the dentist sometimes has to insist in that area to clean thoroughly the decay.

The good news about the NABP device is that there will be no drilling basically, and the dentist can avoid getting anywhere nearby the sensitive tooth pulp. The device resembles an electric toothbrush, and the cavities are cleaned out nicely using high-energy gas and a special liquid containing electrically charged particles.

It seems that this dental “drill” or rather let’s call it high powered brush will be extremely useful in a dental practice, especially in the case of patients struggling with dental phobia. Currently, the device is being tested and subjected to several trials right at the University of Tennessee.

According to estimations, the little elegant device is going to be available on the market and in the dental offices countrywide sometime next year (end of 2013 most probably).