Aesthetic dentistry combines science and art in dental treatments with the aim of creating the best outcome for the patient in order to achieve a beautiful and natural appearance. Understanding the science behind products and considering how particular technologies or ingredients fit with the process of care, before during and after the treatments, can be key to creating the perfect smile. Oral hygiene products containing stabilised chlorine dioxide can be a significant aid in aesthetic dentistry.
Stabilised chlorine dioxide has been shown to kill bacteria that can cause plaque biofilm, tooth decay, gingivitis, and other major oral hygiene conditions. Stabilised chlorine dioxide is an oxidising agent and a compound which demonstrates efficacy at lowering concentrations of volatile sulphur compounds (VSC). The challenge during many aesthetic dentistry treatments is to eliminate and control bacteria in a way that does not introduce substances that cause bacteria to build an immune resistance. Stabilised chlorine dioxide has proven to be effective at this. It kills bacteria and eliminates the VSC that damage soft tissue by deactivating amino acids and decreasing the ability of all negative micro-organisms in the
oral cavity to multiply. Controlling VSC, the compounds known to cause bad breath, is key, as they have been found to play a pathological role in the production of periodontitis and gingivitis.
Research has shown that stabilised chlorine dioxide can demonstrate efficacy at lowering concentration of VSC in periodontal pockets by changing their molecular structure on contact. It does not have any unpleasant side effects unlike some other products.
The late eminent American periodontist, Prof Perry Ratcliff suggests that: “Traditional procedures of scaling, root planning and the practice of oral hygiene, combined with tongue scraping are effective at reducing levels of VSC in mouth air and are satisfactory cosmetic treatments”. He maintained that the causes of periodontal disease are a combination of many processes, including activation of the immune system, alterations in connective gingival tissue metabolism, production of proteinases and cytokines and the destruction of host tissue by bacterial enzymes along with a multitude of other factors. “The disease process is therefore not necessarily a sequential series of events but rather a consequence of concurrent processes, which work together to destroy tissues.”
He claimed that extremely low concentrations of VSC, the family of gases which are primarily responsible for oral malodour, are also highly toxic to the tissues in the mouth.When VSC are absent, the toxins from bacteria do not cross the epithelial barrier. When the VSC are present, they alter the epithelial barrier, allowing the bacterial toxins to penetrate through the epithelium into the deeper tissues. These act as antigens to start the immune response, which starts the inflammatory reaction that causes tissue destruction to form periodontal pockets.
In aesthetic dentistry, preventive maintenance is one of the keys to increase the success rate of cosmetic treatments and decrease risks of failure due to potential bone loss due to infection. Therefore products containing stabilised chlorine dioxide (such as UltraDEX) are highly recommended by many dental care professionals as part of the complete care plan before, during and after treatments. Research suggests that stabilised chlorine dioxide has been found to aid the speed at which the gingival tissue heals and is a well-tolerated adjunct to therapy particularly in line with current guidelines to avoid blanket prescribing of antibiotics.
Prevention is the foundation of successful aesthetic dentistry. As part of an overall healthcare programme, stabilised chlorine dioxide could be of value to a wide spectrum of aesthetic dentistry treatments, controlling dental plaque biofilm, bacterial infections and VSC. It provides an optimum solution for dental health and function as well as helping encourage patients to become an active participant in their own oral healthcare.
References available on request.