In a holistic dental practice, we constantly look for ways to provide best natural practices in dental care, promoting a strong foundation of oral hygiene. Instead of using chemicals to clean areas of the mouth, we now incorporate ozone treatment for many dental services! Current research shows ozone naturally has strong antiseptic properties while still maintaining good health of the tissue in the mouth.
What is ozone?
Ozone is a pungent, pale blue naturally occurring gas in nature. It is typically found in high concentrations in the stratosphere, protecting us from harmful effects of the sun’s radiation. Ozone is produced in a chemical reaction using ultraviolet energy and oxygen (O2) to form molecules of ozone (O3).
How is ozone used in medicine and dentistry?
Ozone is harmful to all lifeforms, but uniquely the human body has a protective layer of antioxidants to provide a buffer. For bacteria, fungi, parasites and viral particles, it is highly toxic even in low concentrations. This makes ozone an extremely useful natural antiseptic in the medical world due to its remarkable potency without the significant toxicity or damage to the body itself.
Ozone is used to treat a wide variety of infectious and immunologic conditions such as skin and wound infections, abscess, ear infections, arthritis and even as an adjuvant for cancer treatment. Ozone therapy is administered either as topically as gas or liquid, and even delivered intravenously.
In our office, we harness the important antiseptic properties of ozone routinely as part of our holistic approach to dental care. Using ozone during dental hygiene helps to eliminate the bacteria in the mouth that cause gingivitis, periodontitis, and cause bad breath. In our dental procedures, we use ozone as an adjunct to conventional therapy to create a sterile environment before placing fillings. We’ve found that using ozone rather than other chemical antiseptics also helps to support wound healing in the mouth and reduce chances of dental abscess or infection.
Check out our Holistic Dentistry services page for more information.