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Fight Tooth Decay with Electricity
Erica Campbell writes "According to IsraCast, The Israeli Company Fluorinex Active has developed a new technology that can protect the tooth from cavities for 5 years with one simple electrical treatment. The company is currently working on a small device which, together with a gel, will impose an efficient ion exchange process through an Electro-chemical reaction in which fluor ions displace the Hydroxide ions at the outer layer of the tooth. This is intended to produce a new mineral layer with significantly improved chemical and physical resistance to the aggressive bacteria and the resulting acidic environment in the mouth."
True... very true. But remember, we're creating such technologies so we can abuse such standards and still have a marvelous smile.
ex. Teeth whitening for smokers/coffee drinkers, tooth implants for those who don't sufficiently take care of their teeth, etc.
If they were going to fight dental health, i think they would have made their move at the toothbrush.
I was crazy back when being crazy really meant something. (Charles Manson)
the dose makes the poison. how much fluoride do you think there is in tap water anyway? now compare that to the chlorine in tap water which is far more toxic. lest one forget, chlorine was used in WWI as a weapon.
I think one of the problems with the flouride gel and other fluoride treatments is that they primarily affect the surface of the tooth. Decay is essentially a process of demineralization followed by structural failure (cavitation) when enough mineral substance has been lost.
Your body can actually repair teeth, provided cavitation has not occured. When the tooth structure is first lost, there are pore created in the enamel surface. Later mineral loss comes from below the surface, creating. You've got a sort of void inside the tooth, with a thin smooth shell over the top of it. As long as this surface layer is not breached, you can remineralize the lesion.
The reason, as you note is the critical pH of 4.5. Below this, mineral dissolves. Above this pH, mineral gets laid down. One of the problems with remineralization, however, is that the surfaces pores narrow and close during remineralization, making it hard to get new mineral into the body of the lesion. So, what you really need to fully repair the tooth is cycles of low and high pH. Ironically, plaque can aid in this as it can soak up some fluoride and release it over time.
Anyway, if this technology can repair the subsurface of the tooth, that would be significant. I wonder how they can, though.
random notes:
You can never really get rid of the all the bacteria in the mouth. One hour after a professional cleaning, you've got new biofilm laid down. I think it's back to normal within hours/days. Fluoride doesn't just strengthen teeth, it inhibits glycolysis in some oral bacteria.