Bioactive Glass May Be the Future of Fillings
Bioactive glass is a type of crushed glass that is able to interact with the body and has been used in different types of bone healing for decades. Bioactive glass is made with compounds such as silicon oxide, calcium oxide and phosphorus oxide and it looks like powdered glass. It is referred to as “bioactive” because the body notices it is there and can react to it.
This type of glass is just beginning to be used in dentistry, but research from the OSU College of Engineering shows it may be very promising for tooth fillings. Findings show the bacteria in the mouth do not seem to like this type of glass and is less likely to colonize on fillings that incorporate it. This will help prolong the life of fillings and slow secondary tooth decay (decay that begins where the filling and the tooth join together). It could also provide minerals which would help replace those being lost.
For more, see the study on the journal Dental Materials, January 2016, vol. 32, issue 1, pp. 73-81.
Feature Image: An electron microscope image of bioactive glass. Credit: Oregon State University
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