Days of Painful Tooth Repair May Be Over

Days of Painful Tooth Repair May Be Over (2015-9-2)

By VOA
01 September, 2015
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Many people fear a visit to the dentist. They are not so much afraid of the doctor, but of the dental equipment and treatments.
很多人害怕去看牙醫，他們其實不是怕牙醫而是害怕看牙科時醫生所用的器具和治療。
Well, fear no more!
現在你不用再害怕看牙醫了！
A British company says it has developed technology that will end the need for mechanical cleaning of dental cavities. It also says the technology speeds up a natural process of tooth repair.

一家英國公司說他們已經發展出一種科技可以終結用機器清洗蛀牙的需求，他也說科技加速牙齒自然修補的過程。
Having your teeth repaired can really hurt. So, people often do not go to the dentist as often as they should. New technology may change that forever.

修補牙齒會傷害牙齒本身構造，所以人們通常不那麼常看牙齒，但是新科技也許會永遠改變這個傳統修補牙齒的流程。
For over a century, dentists have been repairing cavities the same way. They first remove the decayed, or bad, tooth tissue with an electric-powered drill. Then, they fill the hole in the bone with a metallic or plastic substance.
牙醫用同樣修補蛀牙的方法已經超過一世紀，剛開始醫生會用電鑽把壞的牙齒或組織移除，然後醫生就會用塑膠或鐵的材質把洞填滿。
If the cavity is not too deep, the experience can be unpleasant. However, if it is deep, near the nerve of the tooth, it can be very painful. The worst part is that the process of drilling and filling the cavity has to be repeated for the entire life of that tooth.
如果蛀牙不是太深，那麼看牙的經驗應該不會太好。然而，如果蛀的太深，靠近神經的話，那麼可能就會非常痛。最糟的部分那顆蛀牙終其一身必須要不斷鑽和填補。
Rebecca Moazzez is a senior lecturer at King's College London. She says that this cycle lasts the rest of the tooth's life.
Rebecca Moazzez 是倫敦國王學院的資深講師，她說這顆牙齒剩下的壽命會持續這樣的循環。
"You're really in that cycle of repair and replacement for the rest of the tooth's life."
「那顆牙齒剩下的時光都會在修補和替換的循環中渡過。」
Tooth enamel is what we see on the outside of the tooth. The enamel of a damaged tooth can be replaced naturally. This process is called re-mineralization. But it is too slow to stop bacteria from building up in small, narrow areas of the enamel.牙齒的琺瑯質就是我們看到在牙齒外面的那層。受損牙齒的琺瑯質可以自然的被取代，過程稱之為鈣化，但是這樣的過程太慢以致於無法停止細菌生長在琺瑯質小且狹窄的地方。

1. 
   
   A British business called Reminova has developed a method for speeding-up this natural re-mineralization of early-stage cav
   一家英國公司Reminova已經發展了一種方法於蛀牙早期階段時去加速它的自然鈣化。
   Jeff Wright is head of the company.
   Jeff Wright是這家公司的執行長。
   "We've just found a way to make that a much faster process. Driving healthy calcium and phosphate minerals into your enamel and, through a natural process, it will bind on and add to the enamel that's there."
   我們才剛發現一個方法去加快這個過程,促進健康的鈣質和磷酸鹽礦物到琺瑯質中，而且透過自然的過程，它將會約束鈣質和磷酸鹽去增加到琺瑯質中。
   The process begins with a cleaning of the cavity. This does not require power tools. The dentist covers the problem area with a mineral solution, and then uses an electrical current to harden this material. The electricity is too weak for the patient to feel. And the hardened mineral completely fills the cavity.
   這個過程開始於蛀牙的清潔，牙醫把受損的部位用礦物液覆蓋住,然後接著使用電流去使礦物硬化。新技術的電力太弱了，病人幾乎沒有感覺，然後硬化過的礦物質會完全填補蛀牙。
   Researchers say this method could be especially useful for children. Sometimes children have bad experiences at the dentist. They fear the drilling and injections. Who wouldn't be afraid? Better experiences as a child might lead to more visits to the dentist as an adult.
   研究員說這個方法對兒童來說特地有用，有時兒童對於看牙醫有著不好的經驗，他們害怕鑽牙齒和注射牙齒。
   Dr. Barry Quinn works as a consultant at King's College.
   Dr. Barry Quinn在國王學院當顧問。
   "If children have a better experience of going to the dentist, so they haven't had the necessary drilling and injections for routine fillings, then they'll be much more positive in later life and probably become much more regular patients."
   如果小孩對於看牙醫有更好的經驗，在他們填補牙齒時，不需要去鑽牙齒和注射牙齒，那麼他們在之後就會持肯定的態度去看牙醫,而且可能會變成一名普通病人。
   
   Dentists say the new method is most efficient on early-stage cavities. The whole treatment lasts about as long as a normal drill-and-fill visit. Researchers say they believe the new method can be further developed for treating late-stage cavities.
   牙醫說這個新方法對於蛀牙早期階段是最有效的,這完整的療程大概只要正常一次鑽和填補牙齒的時間。研究員說他們相信這個新方法可以再被深入地發展去治療到了後期的蛀牙。
   And they are quick to note that regular cleaning with fluoride toothpaste helps prevent cavities in the first place.
   然後他們很快的去記錄下來用含氟牙膏清潔是在剛蛀牙時去幫助預防蛀牙。
   And that's the Health & Lifestyle report.
   以上是健康和生活品味的報導。
   I'm Anna Matteo.
   我是Anna Matteo.

相關報導：

你害怕看牙醫嗎？討厭牙醫拿著尖銳的器材在你的牙齒上鑽來鑽去，還發出刺耳的噪音嗎？英國最近研發出一種無痛補牙技術，捨棄以往先挖再補的方式，減輕補牙時的不適感，讓牙痛患者不再害怕上醫院治療。



過去補牙的標準治療方式分兩步驟，先以鑽牙器去掉蛀壞的部分，再以汞合金或合成樹脂填補牙洞，但這並非最理想的方式；英國倫敦國王學院（King’s College London）新技術免去鑽洞的方式，先對牙齒受損部位的外層進行處理，然後將鈣質、磷酸鹽等礦物質注入蛀牙中，以微量電流「推送」這些物質進入蛀牙處，便可幫助牙齒再礦化、自行修復。

這項新技術由蘇格蘭公司 Reminova 開發，目前在募集資金，希望三年內普遍應用在治療上。不久前哈佛大學也開發出類似技術，以低能雷射光照射牙齒，結果竟能刺激牙齒幹細胞重新生長。

倫敦國王學院研究人員表示，在牙科中，電流已被用於檢查牙髓或牙齒神經，而新技術所用的電流更加微弱，患者在治療過程中甚至不會有感覺。除修復齲齒外，這項技術還可被用作牙齒美白，最重要的是，新技術的成本預計不會超過傳統方法。
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Words in This Story

dental cavity – n. a small hole formed in a tooth by decay

enamel – n. the very hard outer layer of a tooth

drill – n. a tool used for making holes in hard substances

injection – n. the act or process of forcing a liquid medicine or drug into someone or something by using a special needle

filling ­– n. material that is used to fill something : example: a filling for a tooth

calcium – n. a substance that is found in most plants and animals and that is especially important in people for strong healthy teeth and bones

phosphate – n. chemistry : a salt or compound that has phosphorus in it and that is used especially in products (called fertilizers) that help plants grow

fluoride – n. a chemical that is sometimes added to drinking water and toothpaste to help keep teeth healthy