Reference/Features

An introduction to air polishing and its benefits

6 mins read Oral health and mouth cancer Equipment care Ethical selling/products
Air polishing is more comfortable and quicker to use than traditional scale and polish cleaning methods, and is suitable for a range of patients. Offering this service could also be an effective way of promoting your practice

Air polishing and particularly air-flow have come of age, with powders being produced to cater for every patient group including people with implants.

Air polishing was developed in the 1940s by Dr Robert Black in the US to prepare cavities. His device, the Airdent, used air, water and an abrasive powder to remove infected enamel and dentine without the need for anaesthesia. The device sadly never took off as the technology was erratic in performance and kept breaking down.

In the 1970s, Pierre Mabile and his team at EMS in Nyon in Switzerland used watch technology to create precision dental equipment and developed and patented air-flow technology. EMS is still based in Nyon and its headquarters is the main development centre for its air polishing technology.

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