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| FAQs |  When will drill – less dentistry become a reality?
There are some dentists, who are trying to provide drill – less dentistry, which is also called micro abrasion and air abrasion, nowadays. Micro abrasion can be performed in the following cases:
 for the tooth decay removing;
in order to improve some old composite restorations;
with the aim of preparing the surface of a tooth for bonding or sealants;
in order to remove any superficial discolorations or stains on the tooth.
The micro abrasion instrument is considered to work like a mini sandblaster, with the help of which it is possible to spray away any decay or stain, or prepare the surface of a tooth for bonding or sealant application. With micro abrasion, a fine stream of particles is aimed at the surface of a tooth. As for these particles, they are composed of aluminum oxide, silica or a baking soda mixture, and they are propelled in the direction of the surface of a tooth by compressed air or a gas, which comes out through the dental handpiece. When the steam strikes all the smallest particles of decay, stain, etc. present of the surface of a tooth, they are removed. After that all the remnant particles are “suctioned” away.
What is the latest word on the safety of amalgam – type fillings?
There are lots of concerns, raised about silver – colored tooth fillings, which are also called amalgams, during the last several years. Some people consider this kind of fillings to be the reason of a number of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, autism, multiple sclerosis, etc., because amalgams contain mercury, which is a toxic substance.
Therefore, it should be mentioned, that the American Dental Association, together with FDA and a lot of public agencies say that amalgams are safe, and that there has not been found any link between these mercury – containing fillings and any of the above mentioned diseases. In accordance with the numerous conducted investigations the amalgams safety has been reconfirmed. These investigations has proved that although there is mercury in amalgams, when it is mixed with such metals as copper, silver, tin and zinc, the stable alloy is formed, which dentists have already been applied more than 100 years to fill and preserve hundreds of million of decayed teeth.
However, there has also been a concern as for the release of some small amount of mercury vapor from amalgams, though, again, numerous investigations proved that there is completely no scientific evidence that this small amount can result in any adverse health effect.
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