A New Replacement for the Dentist Drill?
Could a blast of gas be a better alternative to the traditional dentist’s drill?
It appears that a new device that fires a blast of gas at a cavity has been invented and it is thought using it is pain free for the patient. If true, it could replace the need for a local anaesthetic.
There is also a suggestion that its use also makes the subsequent filling a lot stronger.
So how does it work?
The device, which is called a ‘non-thermal argon plasma brush’, looks like an electric toothbrush, blasts high energy gas and liquid particles carrying a small electrical charge at the cavity. Doing so cleans out bacteria and any other tooth debris in just 30 seconds.
Scientists and engineers who carried out the research at the University of Missouri believe that the new device offers a patient a pain-free operation, as the nerve endings are not touched. Drilling pain is caused either by a dentist accidentally touching the nerve ending or the vibration created by the device triggering a pain signal.
Around 8 million cavities are filled each year in the UK, with most patients either put to sleep or given a local anaesthetic to deaden the nerves. 
While these procedures help the patient not to feel the drill, nevertheless pain (or dizziness after a general anaesthetic) is still felt as an after effect. This new technique will not only benefit the patient’s wellbeing it is also apparently much quicker to carry out.
The new device also has one other major advantage. Many people, if not most, are fearful of visiting the dentist. This could just help encourage people to visit more regularly knowing that if a filling is required the operation will not cause pain.
Speaking with reporters, a researcher said: “Non-thermal gas plasma treatment will be a painless, tissue-saving method for dental cavity preparation because of its non-destructive nature, and rapid sterilising capability.”
The great news was also welcomed by Professor David Bartlett, head of prosthodontics at King’s College London Dental Institute, who said: “In principle it sounds a good idea.
“In order to access decay it is often necessary to drill through the enamel, which is the hardest material in the body.
He added: “If this mixture of gas and liquid can be shown to remove enamel it would be a big step forward for dentistry. However, we know that conventional drills can get through the enamel and are relatively cheap devices — a few hundred pounds — whereas this new device is likely to be more expensive.”
Trials of the new brush are expected to take place later this year at University of Tennessee-Memphis in the USA. If successful it could be on the market next year. How long it will be before it arrives in Britain isn’t known.
All in all, it is a great breakthrough in dentistry.
Tags: dental drilling pain, non-thermal argon plasma brush, pain free dental drill, pain-free dentistry