Micro Air Abrasion

There have been many attempts over the past few decades to create a dental instrument that is a sfae and controllable "sandblaster" for teeth and they have generally never been accepted because of problems of one kind or other.

Crystal Mark has created a Micro Air Abrasion unit that meets all of my expectations and more. The size of the nozzle is about 1/3 of the size of our smallest drill bur and this allows very accurate tooth surface cleaning and tooth structure removal.

The Crystal Mark unit uses 50 micron Silicon Dioxide crystals powered by air and controlled by a rheostat. If the air pressure is low the unit is a great tooth cleaner. When the air pressure is dialed up the unit can actually cut tooth structure and remove decay. There is also an additional 'turb'  power switch that uses helium gas to increase the cutting efficiency of the Micro Air Abasion and allows the unit to remove old fillings.

The nozzle of this tool is significantly smaller than the smallest drill bur we have. When you combine this accuracy with the increased magnification of the Microscope you have one of the most minimally invasive tools in Dentistry. It is especially beneficial in treating children because their teeth are so small to begin with and most of the time anesthetic is not necessary. Dr. Hughes created the new Super Sealant, utilizing Micro Air Abrasion,  in order to provide a more permanent protective seal on children's teeth than traditional sealants offer.

Dr. Hughes routinely uses Micro Air Abrasion to clean/prepare teeth before placing bonded tooth colored fillings. The results are the best we can achieve in bonding today.

Air Abrasion from Hughes'Views on Vimeo.