Affinity Dental Care recently acquired a new machine called Airflow One that uses a naturally occurring sugar called erythritol to remove bacteria and plaque from the teeth with pressured ozone water. Erythritol has zero calories and is used as a substitute sugar like xylitol in food, mouth wash and toothpaste. This sweetener occurs naturally in many fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and foods derived from fermentation, like wine, cheese, and soy sauce. It is non-abrasive and water-soluble. Scientific studies have demonstrated that it inhibits oral microbial growth and bacterial adhesion to teeth. The bacteria that it inhibits are the types that cause caries and gum diseases, such as S. Mutans, S. Sobrinus, or S. Sanguinis.
Because erythritol is non-abrasive, small in diameter (14 μm) and water-soluble, it is safe to be used underneath the swollen and inflamed gums to perform air-polishing that can replace traditional root scaling in periodontal therapy. The benefits of this technique are multifold: It removes the plaque and bacteria by blasting the biofilm out. It also kills the germs found inside the gum pockets and prevents bacterial back adhesion onto the root surfaces. It is generally more comfortable for the patients as no metal scalers touch the root, and it is safe to clean around implants.
In conjunction with the guided biofilm technique, this device can remove stains and plaque efficiently and painlessly in pits and fissures, white resin fillings, around orthodontic brackets, below the gums and around the implants.
This technique(GBT) discloses the biofilm and plaque using a biofilm disclosure, highlighting the nasty bugs and their colonies in purple. The disclosing also can help to detect obscure cavities with the purple dye. Because the biofilm becomes visible, the patient could be better educated about the areas in the month that haven’t been adequately brushed by the patients. Air polishing is then used to remove the purpled deposit and stain using the gentle erythritol particles. After the air polishing is completed, a special handpiece called Perioflow is utilized to flush the bad bugs out of the gum pockets around teeth and implants. Finally, the calculus or tartar is removed by using a piezo scaler.
Guided Biofilm Therapy is minimally invasive and the patients suffer less discomfort. It is also safe to use it to clean the bacterial coating on the tongue that causes bad breath, leaving the patient with long-lasting freshness in the mouth afterwards.