Ozone is a naturally occurring gas that makes up a small percentage of the air we breathe. Typically, any mention of ozone in the media has been negative and usually related to global warming.
Medical ozone is completely different. While it is the same gas, it has been specially formulated to offer significant help for dentists and our patients.
Ozone and root canal
Root canal therapy is a surgery of last resort. It is only ever used when no other treatment will be effective. The procedure involves removing the pulp from inside the tooth that has become inflamed or infected. The tooth can survive without this pulp as it continues to be nourished from the surrounding gum.
A root canal involves the removal of the pulp, nerves, and blood vessels from inside the tooth. While this may sound painful, it really isn’t. Modern dentistry has progressed significantly and has removed much of the discomfort from this procedure. Once we have removed this material, we eradicate the infection and as much bacteria as possible.
Removing the infected pulp requires us to disinfect the tissue left inside the tooth before sealing it with a material called gutta-percha. Without ozone therapy, we can usually eliminate the majority of the bacteria living within the tooth. Using ozone therapy, we can eliminate 99.9 percent of bacteria.
This means the tooth is as clean and as disinfected as possible before we seal it up. This has obvious benefits for recovery as your body can concentrate on healing rather than having to fight bacteria too. The long-lasting effects of ozone therapy can continue for up to a year depending on your general oral health and any other issues you may have.
As hard as we might try, without ozone therapy, it is very difficult to effectively remove bacteria. There are lots of places for it to hide, including dentinal tubules within the tooth itself which can stretch for miles if placed end to end. Ozone therapy allows us to flood the entire area with disinfecting ozone gas to kill that 99.9 percent.
Using a special dental device, we can apply medical-grade ozone to the site of the root canal to eradicate any bacteria. The applicator sits on top of the tooth and only delivers gas to that tooth. The applicator then removes the gas from your mouth. The procedure is completely safe and has been used in dentistry across the world for a very long time.
Given its effectiveness at fighting bacteria, using ozone in root canal therapy offers many benefits. Further infection was always a risk after root canal therapy but with ozone, we eliminate bacteria and therefore make it less likely that your tooth will become re-infected.
If you think you may need root canal therapy, using ozone gas as part of the procedure offers real life benefits. Contact us here at Aesthetic Family Dentistry today to schedule a consultation.
