New Way to Treat Decay

Most preventative treatments to reduce tooth decay and dental plaque have one major shortfall: saliva can wash the treatment away before it has any chance to be effective. But researchers have found a way to stop that from happening!

The struggle with getting treatments to stick stems on the fact that plaque creates a glue of sorts and firmly attaches to your teeth. Current treatments are able to treat the plaque, but quickly wash away once saliva is introduced. 

The new treatment is actually a nano

particle system – super small particles – that is positively charged: the opposite of your plaque. In addition to that, the nanoparticles are hydrophobic, which repel liquids and allows the particles to cling to the plaque, and are pH-activated, which react when exposed to acids.

The treatment is designed to activate in low pH (acidic) environments, which is perfect for plaque, as the bacteria releases acids when exposed to sugars and starches. The acid is what actually causes the tooth decay, so a treatment that activates in that situation will work to prevent future damage and treat old damage by killing the bacteria when it is active. Tests of the treatment are proving to be effective. The research team tested the nanoparticles on rats infected with the Streptococcus mutans bacteria. When administered without the nanoparticles, the rats had no change in the number of cavities, and the treatment only reduced a minimal number of cavities. When treated with the nanoparticles, the number and severity of cavities were both reduce in a significant way.

Only your friendly Valencia dentist can treat your tooth decay. If you have any questions or concerns about cavities and ways to prevent decay, be sure to schedule your appointment today.