Prophylaxis

DENTAL PROPHYLAXIS = PLAQUE CONTROL

Dental plaque is "the soft tenacious material found on the tooth surface which is not readily removed by rinsing with water". It is estimated that 1mm of dental plaque, weighing about 1mg, contains more than 200 million bacteria. There is well over 350 sorts of bacteria in the oral cavity, only few have the ability to colonize a newly cleaned tooth surface.

Colonization of teeth surfaces by bacteria is acknowledged as the key etiologic factor in the most common oral disease: like inflammation induced in the gingival soft tissues adjacent to the gingival plaque, carious lesions of the enamel which develop on individual tooth surfaces beneath the bacterial plaque and the periodontitis.

Studies have shown that a high-quality plaque control can prevent and control gingivitis, periodontitis, and dental caries in children as well as adults. Plaque control can be achieved mechanically or chemically by self care or professionally by dentists or dental hygienists.

Teeth brushing is the most widely used mechanical means of personal plaque control in the world. The use of a tooth brush is not, however, synonymous of a high standard of oral hygiene, because the tooth brush has a very limited access to the wide approximal surfaces of the molars and the premolars. Clinical, visual assessment of plaque removal by teeth brushing does not mean that all bacteria has been removed from the tooth surface.

Professional mechanical teeth cleaning is the selective removal of plaque from all teeth surfaces. It is concentrated on teeth surfaces generally neglected by the patient: plaque deposits are often heaviest in the mandibular lingual embrasure of the molar and premolar and is always present in the interproximal spaces.

The treatment is carried out by means of small rotating brushes or rubber cups, scalers curettes or ultrasonic devices. Because this work is labor-intensive and time-consuming, new methods are constantly sought for a more effective treatment which is both harmless and comfortable for the patient. The AIR-FLOW^® method was introduced to provide an alternative method of stain and plaque removal.


BEFORE	AFTER


BEFORE	AFTER

The AIR-FLOW^® method delivers a controlled stream of fine powder particles to the tooth surface through water spray and compressed air. The AIR-FLOW^® Prophylaxis Powder is a sodium bicarbonate based. This is a relatively soft material which is biocompatible if ingested. It is an accepted dentifrice and antacid. It is moderately abrasive. It dissolves rapidly and has a relatively low toxicity.