Patient Education
Ozone in Dentistry
The future of dentistry . . . healing instead of restoring
Many of you probably feel invigorated after a thunderstorm or during a stroll along the beach. If so, ozone may be at least partly responsible for your feelings of youthful energy. Ozone (O3) is an energized form of oxygen. It is that clean, fresh smell you notice during a thunderstorm and it has been known as a powerful medicine for more than 100 years. In many ways, ozone is a perfect medicine . . . it completely destroys bacteria, mold, yeast, and viruses while simultaneously stimulating the immune system.
Ozone allows us to treat many dental conditions in a very conservative manner. We are currently using ozone therapy in the following ways:
- Gum Disease / Infections: Because gum disease is an infection and ozone can eliminate infection, irrigating periodontal pockets with O3 water and O3 gas is highly beneficial. Used in this manner, O3 not only helps arrest the progression of the disease but also helps prevent tooth decay on exposed root surfaces. For some patients, a custom tray that fits snugly over the teeth and gums can be made. O3 gas is then passed into the tray for a period of time every few months to help maintain periodontal health and prevent decay.
- Teeth: Ozone is mainly used in dentistry for the prevention and reversal of cavities. Certain types of cavities can be reversed by exposing them to ozone gas . . . eliminating the need for a filling. Washing teeth with ozonated water, just prior to restoring them, is an excellent way to sterilize the tooth and prevent sensitivity. Ozone is extremely beneficial when the tooth nerve has been damaged by decay. Using O3 water followed by O3 gas will often prevent the nerve from dying, thus preventing the need for a root canal or extraction.
- Dental Surgery: Irrigation of a surgical site with O3 water will dramatically speed healing and reduce the possibility of infection.
- Cavitations: Several conditions can cause localized areas of the jaw bone to die. These conditions include improper tooth extraction, trauma, poor circulation, clotting disorders and the use of steroids. These areas of dead bone are known as cavitations and are breeding grounds for bacteria and their toxins. Cavitations can affect overall health in a number of ways: research shows the bacterial waste products found in cavitations are extremely potent . . . cavitations can also block the body’s energy meridians. Ozone is one of the most effective methods of treating cavitations . . . it kills the bacteria and stimulates the body’s self-healing mechanism.
- Cold Sores and Canker Sores: When exposed to ozone gas, cold sores and canker sores heal rapidly. We have also discovered that when treated with ozone the sores may not ever return to the same place again.
Tooth – Body Connection
The concept of a Mind-Body connection has been all over the news lately, but have you heard about the Tooth-Body connection?
If you’re familiar with Chinese Medicine or acupuncture, then you’ve heard about meridians… the channels through which energy flows in the body. Each organ, gland, and body structure has an associated meridian… including the teeth. All the body structures on an individual meridian can be affected when energy flow through that meridian is altered or blocked. Energy flow can be altered in a meridian when an organ on that meridian is diseased or infected.
What does all this mean to you? Well, if you have a bad tooth, the energy flow through the meridian belonging to that tooth will be altered. This in turn can affect the health of all the other organs on that meridian. For example, the upper right first molar tooth is on the same meridian with the liver, kidneys, pancreas, stomach, and breast. So, if this tooth has a problem it may affect energy flow through the meridian and the health of your liver, kidneys, pancreas, stomach, or breast may be affected as well.