ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT AVAILABLE

​

In addition to the traditional white composite resin fillings and resin sealants used at this office, alternatives to drilling and filling as well as an alternative to resin sealants are also available at this office These alternatives are like medicine for the tooth in that they heal the tooth; they are antimicrobial and remineralize (harden soft tooth structure. The following materials are used at this office:

​

GLASS IONOMER RESTORATIVE MATERIAL- A white paste placed over the cavity or in the cavity if there is a hole in the tooth from decay. It sets on its own to form a hard filling and no drilling is required to remove decay. Gl fuses to the tooth via ionic bonding to seal out bacteria. Gl also releases fluoride, which kills bacteria that cause decay and hardens tooth structure. GI can also be placed over deep cavities to prevent the need for a root canal.

​

GLASS IONOMER SEALANTS- As with the Gl restorative material, Gl sealants release fluoride and fuse to the teeth. Gl sealants, unlike resin sealants, do not require teeth to be completely dry when placed. This means that partially erupted molars can be effectively sealed. The won't leak and cause a cavity like a resin sealant could if the tooth isn't kept completely dry. Because Gl sealants do not require teeth to be kept completely dry, the placement of Gl sealants is much faster than the placement of resin sealants.

​

SDF (Silver Diamine Fluoride)-A liquid that is applied over the cavity to stop decay from spreading. It hardens tooth structure, and is fast and painless.

​

ALTERNATIVE X-RAYS AVAILABLE

​

In addition to the conventional digital radiography that is used at this office, phosphor plate radiography is also available. For young children, the rigid digital x-ray sensors are often too uncomfortable to tolerate long enough for a diagnostic quality image to be captured which results in several retakes needed and a diagnostic x-ray may not even be obtained. Phosphor plates are flexible, soft, and one fourth the thickness of digital sensors. This makes it more likely to capture the image needed the first time, resulting in less radiation overall.