Cold Plasma Treatment for Dental Aesthetics

Approved cold atmospheric plasma medical devices are, on principle, qualified for application in dental medicine. Current plasma research explores the treatment of caries, periodontitis, infections and wounds of oral mucosa, inactivation and removal of dental and implant biofilm, disinfection of root canals, tooth bleaching, conditioning for bone integration and bonding of restorations and brackets, and decontamination of dental prostheses. And yet, cold atmospheric plasma treatment remains on the doorstep of clinical dentistry. This chapter is providing detailed information for dentists willing to cross the doorstep in dental aesthetics, focused on tooth bleaching. Several plasma devices with technologies based on helium, argon, ionized air, compressed air, and air enriched by oxygen have demonstrated their effectiveness in bleaching of extracted human teeth in interaction with hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide or without chemicals. Treatment times vary from 5 to 30 minutes. The advantages over conventional methods are described as accelerated and enhanced tooth whitening with two to three times more brightness and greater capability than conventional light sources. The current scientific data base speaks for an approved argon-driven or helium-driven HF plasma jet device, a combination with low-dose hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide or without chemicals, and a treatment time of 5-30 minutes.