If you’re like most people, the mere mention of root canal sends a shiver down your spine. It’s a procedure that no one wants to go through, but sometimes it’s necessary. Now, what if I told you that there was a way to make root canal treatment less painful and even potentially eliminate the need for it altogether? Enter nanobots. Nanobots are tiny robots that can be used for a variety of medical procedures, root canal included. In this blog post, we will explore how nanobots are being used in dentistry and how they could potentially change the face of root canal forever.
Advancements in Dental Health Technology
Though root canal surgery has been around for over a hundred years, advancements in dental health technology have made the procedure much safer and more effective. Nanobots are one such advancement.
These tiny robots are able to enter the tooth through the root canal and clean out any infected tissue. They can then seal off the tooth to prevent further infection. This procedure is much less invasive than traditional root canal surgery and can often be done in just one visit to the dentist.
Nanobots are just one of many new technologies that are changing the face of dentistry. Other advances include 3D printing of dental implants and robotic assistants that can help with complex procedures. As dental technology continues to evolve, patients can expect even safer and more effective treatments for their oral health needs.
What is a root canal?
A root canal treatment is a dental procedure that involves removing the infected or damaged pulp from the tooth. The pulp is the soft tissue inside the tooth that contains blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue. Once the pulp is removed, the tooth is cleaned and sealed. A root canal can save a tooth that would otherwise need to be extracted.
What are nanobots?
Nanobots are tiny robots that can be used for a variety of medical procedures, including root canals. They are typically less than a millimeter in size and are made from biocompatible materials. Nanobots have the ability to travel through the body and access difficult-to-reach areas, making them ideal for minimally invasive procedures.
How can nanobots be used in root canals?
In a root canal procedure, nanobots can be used to remove diseased or damaged tissue from the tooth and clean and disinfect the area. Nanobots can also be used to fill the root canal with a biocompatible material, such as collagen, hydrogel or hydroxyapatite, which will help to protect the tooth and prevent further damage.
Millions of people around the world need root canals therapy every day. In order for it to work and be successful, some preparation must be done on the tooth. Today’s protocol includes mechanical preparation and use of chemicals such as Sodium Hypochlorite, Hydrogen Peroxide, Chlorhexidine, etc. If this procedure fails to achieve disinfection because these chemicals cannot penetrate the dentinal tubules or accessory canals, proper disinfection cannot be achieved. Luckily, these nanobots which eliminate bacteria in root canals are getting sufficiently known that they even have their own label: Nano Dentistry.
Over 25 million root canals are performed annually; that’s over 90% of them. Out of the remaining 10%, those are due to inadequate decontamination.
The dentinal tubules are very thin; in most cases, it’s difficult for any antimicrobial agents or chemicals to reach bacteria deep inside. Researchers from the “Indian institute of science and nano robotics” company Theranautilus have shown that nanobots can effectively kill bacteria in the dentinal tubules.
Dental nanobots work by heating up their surface, which in turn kills bacteria when they come into contact with it. Nanobots use heat to clean and disinfect the canals without the need for harsh chemicals.
The findings show that nanobots were able to penetrate dentinal tubules up to 2000um for a more effective result than using laser or ultrasonic devices. Researchers believe that the heat can be used as an alternative to harsh chemicals and antibiotics – leaving just the bacteria on your root canal.
When researchers injected the nanobots in extracted tooth samples, they could manipulate them with a low intensity magnetic field. The surface of the nanobots is heated and creates heat chemistry. This then kills nearby bacteria.
Advantages of using nanobots in root canals
There are many advantages of using nanobots in root canals. First, nanobots are able to reach areas of the tooth that traditional instruments cannot. This allows for a more thorough cleaning of the tooth, which can help to prevent future problems. Additionally, nanobots are much smaller than traditional instruments, so they cause less damage to the tooth and surrounding tissues. Finally, nanobots are more efficient than traditional instruments, so the procedure can be completed in a shorter amount of time.
Scientists have been studying micro and nanorobots to provide practical solutions in the fields of waste management, healthcare and even dentistry. They’ve used these tiny devices as antibacterial agents, but few studies have looked into their use in dentistry specifically.
As published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, while working at the Centre for Nanoscience and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Sciences, Ambarish Ghosh and his team developed nanobots which are small enough to fit through dentinal tubules. These nanobots are able to reach bacteria in the tooth canal and kill it. They can be applied during a root canal treatment where they can be controlled externally, giving the dentist precise control when disinfecting the affected tooth.
According to Debayan Dasgupta, a Ph.D student involved in the research at the time, they were able to maneuver these remotely controlled microscopic robots using low-intensity magnetic fields with no impact on the environment or humans.
This is much better than the other methods of contemporary disinfection, Shanmukh Peddi, a dental surgeon and co-author of this study explains. “To increase the depth of penetration of drugs, various other modalities have been implemented such as lasers and ultrasounds, but as the energy decays quickly these methods are inefficient at deeper levels of drug tissue penetration. So, current methods cannot treat deep-seated bacterial colonies that persist over time and cause complications post-treatment.”
In this study, electrodes extracted from patients’ teeth were used. This makes it an in vitro study as opposed to a clinical trial. However, the results are just as promising. As explained by Dasgupta,”We demonstrated the established antibacterial efficacy of nanobots (swarm) against Enterococcus faecalis bacterium biofilms inside human tooth tissue by releasing localized heat generated through magnetic hyperthermia at 2000 microns or higher depths, which is the highest depth achieved by any other contemporary market technology.”
Disadvantages of using nanobots in root canals
There are several disadvantages of using nanobots in root canals. First, they are very expensive and not widely available. Second, they are not as effective as traditional root canal treatment methods in clearing out infection and debris from the canal. Third, they may increase the risk of complications such as perforation or damage to the surrounding tissue. Finally, there is a lack of long-term data on the safety and efficacy of nanobots in root canals, so their use should be reserved for cases where other methods have failed.
Are nanobots safe?
There is a lot of debate surrounding the safety of nanobots. Some people believe that they are safe and can be used to improve our health, while others believe they could be used to create weapons of mass destruction. There is still a lot of unknown about nanobots, which is why many people are cautious about them.
One of the main concerns about nanobots is that they could be used to create biological weapons. Nanobots could be programmed to attack specific targets, such as organs or cells. This could potentially lead to a lot of damage or even death. Another concern is that nanobots could be used to create self-replicating robots, which could quickly get out of control and cause widespread damage.
Another worry is that we may not be able to control nanobots once they are released into the environment. They could replicate and spread without our knowledge or consent. This could have disastrous consequences if they got into the wrong hands or if they began to malfunction.
Overall, there is still a lot of uncertainty when it comes to nanobots. We need to do more research into their safety before we can use them in widespread applications. Until then, it is important to handle them with caution.
Nanobots have a lot of promise: will they deliver?
Nanobots are an amazing technology that can be used for a variety of medical procedures, including root canals. While they are still in the early stages of development, nanobots hold a lot of promise for the future of dentistry – not just a brief dental trend. Root canals are already a fairly routine procedure, but nanobots could make them even easier and more effective. If you’re considering a root canal, be sure to ask your dentist if nanobots might be an option for you.
