Tooth Damaging Dental Material

Dentists use plaque resistant dental materials on a very regular basis, usually for restorative procedures. Plaque resistant dental materials can sometimes contain an active ingredient used to neutralise a problem with a tooth but cause unwanted side effects. Side effects involving damage to the gum. Ideally, dental materials such as these need to achieve two goals; first, they should kill pathogenic microbes effectively. Secondly, they need to withstand the effects the mouth can have on the biomaterials when chewing and biting.

Research

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania claim to have developed a dental material that will not have this problem. Traditionally, dental materials would be coated with a drug that slowly releases to kill microbes. This material is known as non-leachable, meaning it only kills microbes that touch it. Many people are not aware, but you actually need many different forms of bacteria that form in the mouth. This means that some of these dental materials will kill that important bacteria that your mouth needs to keep itself clean and healthy. Rather than using a drug that coats the dental material the team of researchers at the Unversity of Pennsylvania have chosen to use an antibacterial agent that can be tethered to the structure of the material. This antibacterial agent is targetted at getting to work on the bad bacteria that cause damage to the enamel. Bad bacteria such as this, is the leading cause of tooth decay.

Prevention

Preventive Dentistry is one of the most important forms of dentistry. Preventing dental problems before they occur is not only better for your teeth and mouth, but also for your wallet. Maison Smiles recommends regular visits to the hygienist, at least twice a year.  This prevents long-term plaque build up, thus negating the cause for use of these potentially damaging dental materials.