Oral cavitation occurs when, due to a lack of blood supply to certain areas of the bone, a hollowed-out area or hole develops in the jawbone. Dr. Christopher Naranjo utilizes ozone treatment for patients in the Austin, TX area suffering from this dental health issue. The interruption of blood supply, which causes oral cavitation is itself caused by a disease called osteonecrosis. This disease disrupts an adequate blood supply from reaching the jawbone. Without adequate blood supply reaching the jawbone and marrow of the jaw, the bone cells and tissue will begin to die. Oral cavitation can be hard to identify because it cannot be visually identified and can be hard to see in a dental x-ray. The good news is that once identified, it can be treated through ozone therapy.

Oral Cavitation

In many instances, oral cavitation is caused by a previous dental treatment which has, inadvertently, reduced the blood supply to the jawbone. This can occur from any number of dental procedures including large fillings, periodontal scaling, root canals, and crowns. When the blood supply to the jawbone is restricted, toxins can be prevented from leaving the area as well as good nutrients and oxygen from getting in. This can result in cavitation and have a significant impact on your health. The hollow areas caused by cavitation become a place for microorganisms to thrive and breed. Over time, the microorganisms (and the toxins they can produce) will spread throughout the body. This makes treatment for cavitation critical.

Ozone Therapy

To treat oral cavitations, some doctors will surgically remove the “dead” bone using a series of dental burs and excavating tools.  This process, while certainly effective, is very invasive and not always predictable.  In addition, sometimes nerve damage can occur due to inadvertent nicking of vital nerves.   Dr. Naranjo prefers to utilize ozone injection therapy to both eradicate the bacterial damage, but also kickstart an immune healing response.  Sometimes other medicaments can be added (like procaine, Vit B6, homeopathic remedies like Traumeel), but most times ozone therapy alone creates a wonderful healing response.   There are several factors which will determine the complete effectiveness of this treatment for many patients, including:

• The patient’s ability to heal
• The successful elimination of any recurring risk factors

This is where ozone therapy is advantageous over other methods. It’s important to understand that the medical ozone is different from the ozone that is naturally occurring in the air we breathe. This kind of ozone carries a negative connotation due to its association with global warming. Medical ozone, while it is the same gas, has been formulated to offer significant help to dentists and patients. Medical ozone assists in the removal of 99.9 percent of bacteria from the remaining tissue inside the bone after work has been completed.

Applying Ozone Therapy

Should your doctor choose to surgically remove the cavitational debris, it is important to disinfect the remaining healthy tissue in the area. Without ozone therapy, this is very difficult to achieve. This is due to bacteria’s ability to hide and the many places inside the tooth for it to do so. If not removed, these bacteria could cause future infections. With ozone therapy, Dr. Naranjo can flood the entire area with ozone gas and eliminate 99.9% of all present bacteria. Using a special device, the medical-grade ozone spreads, and the bacteria is neutralized. The applicator then can remove the gas from your mouth once the procedure has completed making this a completely safe process. Even if you have never heard of it, ozone therapy has been used in dentistry all over the world for a very long time.

Our goal is to provide each of our patients with the highest quality dentistry through unquestionable skill, ethics, and devotion. We recognize and practice dentistry with an unwavering commitment to quality over quantity. It’s incredibly important to us that we continue to provide the highest quality of individualized care on a long-term basis to like-minded patients. We are proud to be a part of the Austin, TX community and want to continue serving all your dental needs! Please call Greenbelt Dental Health at (512) 472-3565 today for an appointment.