This week we show how and why we use ozone gas in an area of the tooth that has deep decay which is right next to the nerve.

Ozone allows us to stop the advancement of tooth decay from getting to the nerve and ultimately killing the tooth. We want to save this tooth from needing extra treatment, like a root canal.

Ozone is a gas that kills bacteria, virus and fungus on contact..  In our office we use it in almost every procedure.  We make ozone using our ozone generator, which uses medical grade oxygen.  This is unlike other generators which use the air to create their gas.

In this photograph, the yellow arrow points to an area of the tooth that has a pinhead size amount of decay on the top of the tooth. This may look like a stain, but after further examination proves to be decay.  The decay can be verified with an x-ray and by physically checking the discolored area with a dental instrument.   

We started to clean out the decay from the top of the tooth, and found it kept on going down towards the nerve. One can see that this was not a small amount of decay in there.  Close to half of the tooth's surface was full of decay. 

By the way, this is the kind of decay that occurs in a tooth that has been treated with flouride.  The outer part of the tooth is hard, but decay breaks through the shell, and decimates the inside of the tooth, and unfortunately this can go undetected as it is not easily visible. 

The nerve is the life of the tooth. Once the nerve dies, or is exposed, the tooth is no longer alive, can become extremely painful and also can become severely infected.

This photograph illustrates the ozone gas being injected over the decay that is still present in the tooth.  We use a large  syringe with a wide tip to push the gas over the decayed area. Ozone can stop the decay right in its tracks, even though one hundred percent of the decay was not removed.  This is not removed because of its proximity to the nerve.

Using ozone in this case is allowing us to save the tooth by protecting the vitality of the nerve and by stopping the progress of the decay. In many other dental practices this is not an option and the dentist may say that the tooth either needs a root canal or to be extracted.

This photos shows how powerful ozone is at stopping decay.  The decay is etched then ozonated.  Look at how white the inside of the tooth is now compared to how it was above. The other photos show the area of decay that is pinky-brown. 

Now we have a much cleaner and healthier area that was once full of harmful decay. The tooth is now ready to be completed.

This is the finished tooth after being filled with a white composite filling.  Look at how beautiful it is again! 

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An X-ray View of Another Case...

These two x-rays show a tooth that has really deep decay, which was also very close to the nerve.  The decay is the darker area which the arrow is pointing to.  By the way, the stark white areas are either mercury amalgam fillings or porcelain fused to metal (nickel) crowns.

We were able to treat this tooth with ozone and help the patient save this tooth. The ozone stopped the advancement of decay from impinging on the nerve of the tooth, thus keeping the tooth alive. 

Decay Before Treatment

The decayed (dark) area is very close to the nerve, which is in the center of the tooth.  Again, the nerve is the lifeline of the tooth.  If the decay reaches the nerve then the tooth may no longer be vital or alive.

This photograph shows the filling that we placed after ozonating the tooth.  The arrow shows the new white filling that looks like a half circle which goes around towards the center of the tooth.

This was another tooth that we saved using this form of ozone therapy.

This patient will no longer need to get a root canal or to have this tooth extracted. Success!!

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Root Canal with Ozone Therapy - Sequence of Events

Getting ozone therapy prior to having a root canal done can help kill any bacteria/fungus/virus that are in the microscopic tubules of this dead tooth. 

The steps we recommend are: 

1.  Endodontist

The endodontist (root canal specialist) will do the first step.  The canals of the tooth will be cleaned and shaped, then a temporary filling will be put in the tooth. 

2.  Dr. Behm

The next two steps of ozonating the tooth are done in our office. 

The first appointment can be on the same day or a week or so after the endodontist.  We will remove the temporary filling, ozonate and then put another temporary filling in.  No anesthesia is needed for ozonation. 

3.  Dr. Behm

Step 2 will be repeated about 10+ days later. 

4.  Endodontist

Then go to the endodontist, who will finish the root canal.

5.  Dr. Behm

The final step is for us to put a metal-free core in the tooth for extra strength, and crown it.  This step will take two visits, then you're done.

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The Secret Starter Kit

These items can be purchased as a kit or individually.

The Secret is an inexpensive, easy to use tool for at-home care of your teeth. Please click on the link below for complete written instructions on how to take care of the acidic condition that exists in 99% of people's mouths.

http://behmnaturaldentistry.com/the-secret/

Also, Dr. Behm explains The Secret and demonstrates its use in this video on YouTube. 

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep-0D9YssOQ