Nothing is as valuable as your natural tooth structure. So when it comes time to removing a small cavity, why use a large drill when you can use air abrasion.
Minimally Invasive Dentistry comes into play here. At Langford Dental, for really small cavities or for dental sealants, air-abrasion particles (aluminum oxide) can safely and very effectively remove the decay without drilling away good solid tooth structure.
Instead of using a conventional rotary drill, aluminum oxide particles under pressure are blown out of an extremely small nozzle tip. These particles abrade away cavities and also prepare the tooth structure for a strong bond.
In the end, the strength of the filling/tooth bond is greatly enhanced, less tooth structure is removed, typically creating a longer-lasting restoration.