No more drilling down?

Now this is what I call a break-through. Having spent way too much time in dentists’ chairs listening to really bad music and the drone of a drill myself, it’s good to hear about two ongoing research projects that may eliminate the need for those nasty numbing injections and the drill (not sure if there’s any cure for the music though). Two studies being conducted at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine are of note: one is testing a nasal spray that numbs the upper teeth; the other will test the use of ozone to kill bacteria in a decayed tooth and its potential to eliminate the need for the dreaded drill, at least to repair simple cavities. 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. 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, the University said in a press release.