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Every time you visit the dentist for a six-month checkup and cleaning, you hope that you don’t hear the dreaded word: cavity. You probably brush, floss, and keep regular dental appointments to avoid cavities, but occasionally they develop in spite of your best efforts. The good news is that if a cavity forms, Dr. Curtis is equipped to detect it early. If it’s small, he may repair it with air abrasion rather than a dental drill. This means you may not even need a numbing shot!

How does air abrasion work?

During a treatment, the air abrasion instrument sprays a fine stream of particles at your tooth’s decay. It functions like a tiny (and comfortable) sandblaster. An air abrasion tool, powered by compressed air or gas, propels silica, aluminum oxide, or baking soda particles at the decay on your tooth’s surface. Air abrasion is more effective at targeting the unhealthy area, so it’s minimally invasive. That means less disruption to the surrounding healthy tooth. (more…)