In the near future, we may no longer experience the discomfort of having our teeth drilled into via a fast-spinning metal object. According to a scientific study, published in the February issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology, plasma jets could soon replace the action of the mechanical drills in obliterating tooth decay-causing bacteria. The alternative, the team behind it says, is a lot more efficient, and also less painful than the existing prevention method. To put worries at ease, it adds that the plasma fired onto the teeth is kept at low temperatures.

Estimates on the efficiency of the new method are almost unbelievable. Experts say that using the low-temperature jets on dentin – the tooth layer beneath the external, enamel one – could reduce the incidence of harmful bacteria some 10,000-fold. Additionally, it is also believed that the plasma could be used to clean the infected tissue inside cavities, which is something that requires drilling at this point. The work was conducted by German experts, based at the Leibniz-Institute of Surface Modifications, in Leipzig, and the Saarland University, in Homburg.

The group has already tested the low-temperature plasma jets on some of the most common forms of bacteria on teeth, including Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus casei. These two are particularly dangerous because they have the ability to form extremely resistant biofilms on the surface of the tooth. These films are very difficult to remove, and, underneath them, the bacteria are continuously eating away at the enamel and dentin layers covering the tooth. Over time, this results in painful cavities, which may require the nerve of the tooth be removed, or the entire tooth replaced with an artificial one.

“The low temperature means they can kill the microbes while preserving the tooth. The dental pulp at the center of the tooth, underneath the dentin, is linked to the blood supply and nerves and heat damage to it must be avoided at all costs,” Saarland University expert and research leader Dr. Stefan Rupf explains. He reveals that the average temperature of the plasma the German collaboration used was of about 40 degrees Celsius, which is relatively small, and therefore bearable for the extremely sensitive core of our teeth.

“Drilling is a very uncomfortable and sometimes painful experience. Cold plasma, in contrast, is a completely contact-free method that is highly effective. Presently, there is huge progress being made in the field of plasma medicine and a clinical treatment for dental cavities can be expected within 3 to 5 years,” Rupf concludes.