It’s happened to many people – and it may have happened to you, too. Your dentist found a cavity, so you need a filling. You get the filling in order to take care of your tooth, but soon after, you may find that you’re filling didn’t quite work out as planned. Now you are heading towards a root canal or may even be facing a tooth extraction. This situation can be frustrating, overwhelming, and many times painful, but the good news is that it is also avoidable by seeing a dentist that specializes in biomimetic dentistry, like Dr. Erpenbach. Dr. Erpenbach explains the steps he takes as a biomimetic dentist to preserve the teeth while treating them for tooth decay.
One of the most important parts of the biomimetic treatment of tooth decay is creating a good environment for the restoration. To do this, all decay must be removed or neutralized to prevent further destruction. Careful steps are used to remove the decay in order not to disturb or injure the sensitive nerves and living tissue inside the tooth.
After the decay is removed, the area must be completely free from bacteria, because trapped bacteria can cause further decay and even cause infection. Dr. Erpenbach uses ozone to clean the tooth and gum tissue during a restoration. Ozone is a naturally occurring element and a powerful antioxidant. It is frequently used in dentistry because of its ability to kill bacteria, spores, and fungi on contact. Destroying these pathogens wipes out their ability to repopulate. Think of it as a city – if you run everyone out of the city, eventually people will return and take up residence again fairly easily, but if you destroy the city, no one can move back.
By taking these steps and taking care to limit the patient’s exposure to bacteria, Dr. Erpenbach reduces the patient’s risk of having to have a pulpectomy or root canal. Root canals involve the removal of infected pulp and are often very painful for patients. There is also a risk during the procedure that some infected tissue is missed. This bacteria is a slow burning ember trapped in the tooth and could develop into a serious infection that can impact the jaw and even the heart health of patients.
Are you interested in learning more about Dr. Erpenbach’s approach to treating tooth decay? Call 865-584-8630.
