Painless dental treatments on display

Press, 26 August 1986, Page 3

Painless dental treatments on display

PA Wellington If your heartbeat falters and your knees sag every time your teeth hurt, the Dental Association’s conference in Wellington this week has good news for you.

An increasing number of dental procedures can be done without drilling or injections, and they were on show at a mini dental trade fair at the conference yesterday. "Maryland bridges” could be fitted to replace missing teeth with porcelain ones, without the drilling that used to be necessary. The dentist just polished and etched the tooth and applied a bonding material, said the conference’s secretary, Mr John Falkner.

The “Maryland bridge” was invisible from the front, because narrow strips of metal winding behind existing teeth held it in place. It was perman-

ent, he said, unlike the older bridges that needed to be removed for cleaning.

Fissures in children’s teeth — grooves in the biting surfaces of the tooth — could be sealed over, instead of being drilled and filled with amalgam, he said.

Some of the sealants being used were clear, so that any further decay could be spotted and dealt with immediately.

A technique to desensitise teeth worn away at the slightly softer gum margin by over-zealous brushing, or decaying at the margin, has also done away with drilling and jabs.

It bonded to the tooth, and leached fluoride into the damaged area to strengthen it and cut sensitivity, said the sales representative for the West German manufacturer of the “glass ionomer.”