Dentists keep their eye on new technologies as they are introduced to ensure that they are safe and beneficial for patient use. As members in the Academy of General Dentistry, dentists read clinical studies to determine the efficacy of a product prior to purchasing new equipment. Air abrasion Air abrasion is a conservative procedure used to remove small areas of decay or to prepare a tooth for the placement of restorations or sealants. This procedure works with an air compression device that delivers, under pressure, tiny particles of aluminum oxide to the surface of a tooth structure to blast away decay. This is similar to sandblasting a building in order to clean it.
Air abrasion is good with early decay and helps to preserve tooth structure.
Discomfort is minimized and many patients do not need any anesthesia. Children and adults who are fearful of needles, noise or the vibration of a regular dental handpiece may prefer this option if it is available. Air abrasion cannot be used as an alternative for every procedure. Intraoral cameras First developed in 1987, the intraoral camera is a wand-like device with a tiny magnifying lens that projects a picture from a patient's mouth onto a screen. The image, which is magnified up to 40 times its original size, allows the dentist to see fractured enamel, gum recession, fracture lines in teeth, and breakdowns of restorations, and then also allows the patient to see the images.