Ozone treatment

If one of your teeth has only small areas of decay, we can often use ozone treatment to sterilise it. This not only gets rid of infection but also avoids drilling; this means there's minimal treatment, it doesn't weaken the tooth, and there's no pain.

We apply ozone gas which penetrates a few millimetres into your infected tooth through a silicone cup to kill the bacteria and neutralise harmful acids in your mouth. We use sealants along with this treatment to protect the tooth from further damage.

After the ozone treatment, your own saliva, mouthwash, toothpaste or special varnishes can act to harden the tooth again - we check after about 4-8 weeks that this is happening successfully, and at this point we can also cover any marks or staining on your tooth.

Although ozone treatment is very new, it's been fully researched and proven, and has no health risks provided the equipment is well-maintained. At Granta Dental we check our machine weekly and have it serviced six-monthly, following the manufacturer's instructions. And although ozone itself is a pollutant, it's also carefully controlled, applied to your teeth only via a silicone cup, and pumped away when your treatment is finished.

Advantages of treatment

• We expect 90% of treated teeth to respond providing you follow the care instructions.
• Ozone Treatment can prevent bacteria getting trapped deep inside a treated tooth that then has a filling or crown placed on top.
• Although the upfront cost is the same as a filling, long-term the procedure means intact, healthy teeth which are much less likely to need expensive treatment in the future.
• Even when we have to remove a small amount of enamel to allow the ozone to penetrate, there is generally little discomfort.
• The treatment restores the balance of bacteria and, if followed up by the use of special mouthwashes, toothpastes and gels, can remove the root cause of cavities and strengthen the enamel on the treated tooth.

How you can help

After ozone treatment, we ask you to follow these instructions to ensure treatment success.

• Keep your teeth free of bacteria and plaque by regular and effective toothbrushing.
• Avoid acidic drinks.
• Avoid sugary foods and drinks.
• Use xylitol sweetener (found in diabetic confectionery and some chewing gum and mouthwashes).
• Use fluoride mouthwash and toothpaste.