Many of our patients are bothered by the small or large matte white spots on the surface of their teeth. This can be caused by congenital enamel defects or the side effects of medications taken in childhood, but unfortunately they can also appear after the removal of fixed orthodontic appliances.
The chalky white spots appearing on tooth enamel are always caused by deviations and changes in the crystal structure of the tooth enamel mineral. This primarily causes an aesthetic problem for the owner, but is often one of the first signs of tooth decay. For this reason, it is definitely worth dealing with the problem.
What kind of solution does the ICON treatment provide?
ICON’s micro-invasive therapy, a special solution, fills and infiltrates the gaps between the enamel crystals. There is no need to use a drill during the treatment, there is no unpleasant pain, there is no need for needles or anesthesia. Without losing the tooth enamel material, we can stop the process of incipient caries by removing the white spots that cause aesthetic problems at the same time.
The scientific basis of ICON therapy
The ICON treatment works based on the capillary effect principle. In the event of tooth decay, the special resin-type liquid material (ICON-infiltrant) penetrates the carious layer, forming a perfect, hermetic seal and preventing the process from spreading. If the enamel stains are not caused by caries, the ICON infiltrant creates optical properties similar to healthy tooth enamel in the area of the lesion, thereby alleviating the aesthetic problem. The mechanism in this case can be explained by the fact that the ICON material has refractive properties similar to tooth enamel.
How is AZ ICON treatment performed?
We do not prepare, we do not use a drill, there is no anesthetic injection. For this reason, the treatment is completely painless.
1. The first step of the treatment is a thorough cleaning of the teeth, which the dentist does using a so-called polishing brush similar to an electric toothbrush.
2. Afterwards, we provide the teeth to be treated with special isolation, as it is very important to ensure a dry environment.
3. After the teeth have been conditioned and dried, the ICON-infiltrant material is applied to the surface of the teeth. The liquid substance solidifies under the influence of light.
The desired result is already available during the first treatment, in the case of larger changes, the therapy may need to be repeated.
How long is the AZ ICON treatment?
Of course, this treatment also has an optimal protocol in order to achieve the right result. The duration of the treatment depends, among other things, on the extent of the lesion. For minor changes, less than 15 minutes is enough.
In which cases do we recommend the ICON treatment?
– For the painless removal of white spots that cause aesthetic problems, without drilling teeth and other discomforts, even in just one treatment.
– To treat the rudimentary form of dental caries, when the caries has only affected the tooth enamel,
– It is important to know, however, that the ICON treatment is mainly recommended for patients under the age of 18, because long-term, significant improvement can only be achieved with them. The professionally performed ICON treatment is a completely safe and long-term solution.