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How Air Flow Therapy Can Save Your Smile…And Your Dental Implants

How Air Flow Therapy Can Save Your Smile

At North Raleigh Periodontics, we recently implemented Air Flow Therapy into our repertoire of periodontal services provided to our patients at no additional charge. Air Flow Therapy is the natural solution to polishing the tooth surface both above and below the gums. Using a combination of water, air, and either glycine or erythritol powder (both naturally derived), the cell wall of the bacteria is destroyed, thus killing the bacteria cell. Whereas the older method of polishing teeth with prophy paste and a rubber cup simply removed bacteria from the crown of the tooth, Air Flow Therapy can remove the harmful bacteria that cause periodontal disease from both the crown of the tooth and the root surface.

This is especially good news for our patients with dental implants. Dental implants function like normal teeth as they are integrated into the bone. These implants are coated with titanium, and bone heals around that titanium implant surface. However, when the titanium is manipulated or scratched by hygiene instruments, it can harm the surface of the implant, releasing titanium oxide and potentially causing a foreign body reaction or peri-implantitis. Foreign body reactions include swelling, bleeding, and pain around the implant surface, which could potentiate the loss of an implant.

How Air Flow Therapy Can Save Your Dental Implants

A recent study found in the International Journal of Implant Dentistry (Dentistry, 2017) investigated air polishing with glycine powder in comparison with other methods of polishing the teeth. The results of this study showed that other methods of polishing teeth can harm the implant surface and cause a foreign body reaction around the implant. Air Flow Therapy, however, uses one of the finest powders available on the dental market to polish around the surface of your implant. This powder is naturally dissolved by the body, making it less likely to cause a foreign body reaction in the gums. Likewise, Dr. Sam Low, world renowned periodontist, notes that other methods of polishing teeth (prophy paste, prophy jet, pumice, etc.) can harm the titanium surface of the implant, increasing the chances of peri-implantitis. Air Flow Therapy with either glycine or erythratol, however, is the only product on the dental market that will not harm the implant surface, which gives us all a reason to smile here at North Raleigh Periodontics.

So, what does this mean for you? Air Flow Therapy, which is now available at North Raleigh Periodontics, has been proven to be kinder to both the surface of implants and the natural surface of the tooth. This new mode of polishing will revolutionize the way in which we care for your smile and ensure you leave with a clean mouth whether you have dental implants or not. Contact us to schedule a cleaning today with one of our experienced trained hygienists to experience the difference Air Flow Therapy will make for your smile.

Questions? Call 919-518-8222 and ask to speak to Hayley Hall.

Smile On!
Hayley M. Hall, BSDH, RDH

Works Cited
Mengel R, Heim T, Thone-Muhling M. Mucositis, peri-implantitis, and survival and success rates of oxide-coated implants in patients treated for periodontitis 3- to 6-year results of a case-series study [Internet]. NCBI. 2017 [cited 2018Sep27]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5704031/

For more information on this topic, listen to the Gum Guru Podcast by clicking the link below:

Are Implants for Everybody?

Is Replacing All Your Teeth with Implants Really a ‘Clear Choice’?