Bioactive Glass That Cleans, Whitens, Reduces Dental Sensitivity

OSSPRAY, a British company, has developed a dental bioactivecalcium sodium phosphosilicate material that, in addition to polishingteeth, remineralizes them, supposedly reducing sensitivity of the teeth.

OSspray's bioglass is a composite of component chemicals loosely heldtogether in a 45 per cent silica network. When the powder, consistingof particles around 50 microns in size, is fired at the surface of thetooth, the compound fractures so it does not damage the surface of thetooth. There is so little silica in that network that the calcium andphosphorus in the structure can imbed into the tooth surface,remineralising and desensitising the surface of the tooth.

"Tooth dentine consists of fluid-filled tubules, like drinking straws," said Cartmell. "On the biting surface they are covered with enamel, but in the gumlinethe tubules are exposed. Our material, because of its particle size anddistribution, embeds in the mouth of the tubules, bonding to thesurface and locking them off. After repeated use, you build up a thinlayer of bioglass, which is remarkably like tooth enamel."

Source: medgadget.comAdded: 11 July 2008