When you can observe little white spots on the smooth surface of your teeth, showing some opaque and chalk-like white blocks which are obviously different from the other healthy teeth, that is ‘decalcification of teeth’. What is decalcification? Tooth surface should be a smooth surface with high mineral content. When bacteria accumulate on the tooth to form dental plaque and with the presents of sugar, acid would be produced. These acidic substances will cause the loss of minerals on the tooth surface and cause decalcification, which is the early stage of tooth decay.
Decalcification can be caused by several reasons: inadequate oral hygiene; frequently intake of sour or acidic food such as carbonated drinks; and the most common reason is patients undergoing traditional orthodontic treatment. The traditional braces are difficult to clean and the dental plaque is easy to accumulate which increases the chance of decalcification of the teeth, and the white spots will appear more clearly after removing the braces.
To improve the condition of white spotted teeth, now there is a method of infiltrative resin filling which repairs teeth in a minimally invasive manner. It is a gentle method for counteracting white spots and healthy hard tissue would not be lost due to using a high-speed drill. This is a kind of one-time treatment which can maintain good treatment result if the patient could perform satisfying oral cleaning and keep a healthy eating habit. This method can also eliminates the risk of tooth decay at the junction of the tooth and the filling with the old filling method. Moreover, infiltrative filling can increase the calcium content of the teeth and stop the calcification, preventing the process of further tooth decay. Teeth aesthetic is being improved as the pigmentation is greatly removed and the color of teeth becomes even.
Comparing with the traditional resin filling, this treatment requires more operative steps and the procedures are also more complicated so it take more time. In the process, the infiltrative materials need to be penetrated into the decalcified tiny holes layer by layer with close observation for the changes. On the other hand, the cost of materials is relatively high, therefore, the treatment is relatively more expensive.
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