Two dental researchers, when proven successful, will say goodbye to drilling and injection of anesthesia:

1) A study at University at Buffalo's School of Dental Medicine, funded by Apollonia LLC, testing a nasal spray that numbs the upper teeth.

According to Sebastian Ciancio, D.D.S., principal investigator of the study:

"If this study is successful, it may mean the end of dental injections when dentists are performing procedures on the upper arch."

[The nasal spray study is testing the effectiveness in dental procedures of a topical anesthetic normally used by ear, nose and throat physicians when they operate on the nose.]

2) A study by University at Buffalo's School of Dental Medicine and two other U.S. dental schools, funded by Curozone, Inc. and Kavo Dental Manufacturing Co., will test the use of ozone to kill bacteria in a decayed tooth and its potential to eliminate the need for the drill in repairing simple cavities at the least.

The ozone delivery device is currently being used in Europe. If this second UB study (set to begin in the coming months) turned out successful, in about two year's time the technology will be available in the United States.

[The ozone study will evaluate the effectiveness of the ozone delivery device, which fits over a tooth and forms an airtight seal, in arresting tooth decay.]

So let us wait and see how these would turn out. It looks like no anesthesia injection and no drilling aren't wishful thinking anymore.

Source: University of Buffalo News Center