Do you remember when you were a kid, sitting in that dentist chair, praying that the doctor would be finished drilling and filling in your tooth? Then, it’s done and you never have to worry again. That is, until there is a secondary decay, possibly years later… and your old fillings have to be replaced. Oh no!
Thank goodness, going to the dentist today no longer poses the same trauma as it did in childhood, as it is more advanced and more comfortable, primarily due to the evolution of technology. And, it will become even more advanced in the near future, with the development of products, such as bioactive glass, sometimes called “bioglass.”
According to Wikipedia, “bioactive glasses are a group of surface reactive glass-ceramic biomaterials“… a type of crushed glass that is compatible with the body and is used for replacing and repairing damaged bone.
According to the Dental Materials journal, researchers are finding that bioglass has the capability for slowing bacterial decay and promoting re-mineralization in the tooth. This is big news for the dental industry since over 122 million composite tooth restorations are made yearly in the United States. The use of Bioglass could dramatically cut that volume since it slows tooth decay growth.