加速钙和矿物质吸收的蛀牙新疗法（在线收听）

加速钙和矿物质吸收的蛀牙新疗法

For over a hundred years, dentists have been repairing cavities by removing the decayed tooth tissue with a drill and filling the hole with metal or plastic material. Depending on the cavity’s depth, this method can be unpleasant to downright painful for the patient, and it has to be repeated periodically.

一百多年来，牙科医生在治疗龋齿时都是利用钻孔，并用合金或是塑料材料进行填充。但是根据不同的龋齿深度，这种方法会给病人带来明显的刺痛感，并且还需要再次就诊。

“You're really in that cycle of repair and replacement for the rest of the tooth's life,”

未来，你的牙齿会经历治疗，修复等周期循环过程。

A damaged tooth’s enamel can be replaced naturally, but the process is too slow to stop the work of bacteria that build up in tiny cracks. A British company called Reminova has developed a method for speeding up this natural remineralization of early-stage cavities.

牙釉质的损害能够自行修复，但是修复的过程非常缓慢，细菌也就能够在细小的损坏处进行滋生。一家名叫Reminova的英国公司开发了一种能够在龋齿早期加速补充矿质的方法。

“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."

我们找到了一种更加快捷的方法，加速钙质和磷酸盐矿物在牙釉质中的生长，通过牙齿自身，两者将会融为一体。

After cleaning the early-stage cavity with a method that does not require drilling, the dentist covers it with a mineral solution and applies an electrical current that is too weak for the patient to feel. The deposited mineral quickly hardens, completely filling the cavity.

在无需进行钻孔的情况下对龋齿早期进行清理，牙科医生利用补矿盐进行填充，之后施加微弱电流，使病患无法感知电流的存在。沉积的矿物质迅速固化，将龋齿完全填充。

Researchers say this method could be especially useful for children.

研究人员称这种方法对儿童尤为管用。

“If children have a better experience of going to the dentist, so they haven't had necessary drilling and injections for routine fillings, then they'll be much more positive in later life and probably become much more regular patients,"

如果儿童对看牙医并不畏惧，那么他们就无需进行常规的龋齿填充术，未来，他们也不用感到担心，或许他们还会定期对牙齿进行检查。

Dentists point out that the new method is most efficient on early-stage cavities, which makes regular dental checkups essential. The whole treatment lasts about as long as a regular drill-and-fill procedure.

牙科医生指出新方法对早期龋齿患者最为有效，对牙齿进行定期检查是非常重要的。整个治疗过程最长不会超过常规治疗时间。

Researchers say they are confident that the new method can be further developed for treating later-stage cavities. And they remind us that regular brushing with fluoride toothpaste helps prevent cavities in the first place.

研究人员称我们会对新方法进行进一步的研发，帮助其治疗晚期龋齿，对此我们非常有信心。还称用含氟牙膏刷牙将预防龋齿。