 Hello everybody Andrea here with dental lmobile hygiene. So let me talk to you guys about how I can fix a cavity in your home So I am a restorative dental hygienist So what that means is I have certain specialized skills more than a dental hygienist But I'm not a dentist so I'm kind of in between Where I can fix cavities in your home So if you have a cavity that needs fixing what I do first is I apply a liquid So this isn't an anti-carious liquid called silver-diamine fluoride This is what will actually kill that bacteria that's causing the cavity and Prevent it from getting larger So the same step if you were to go to the dental office for them to take out that cavity They use the high-speed handpiece the drill Instead of the liquid to take out the cavity So I use a liquid instead of the drill and a dentist uses a drill instead of a liquid It's almost 2021 things have changed. So it's amazing especially for kids But then to apply the filling over top. That's what I do. I put the filling over top So I'm a mobile dental hygienist So I bring the same portable equipment in this case It's called a triturator and that mixes up the filling material in the little machine And I just simply place it in in into the tooth I pack it in I polish it. I do whatever has to be done. So it does feel like your tooth again I will check your bite with something called articulating paper to check to make sure that it's where it should be And that's it. Whereas if you go to the dentist, they do the same thing So if you've ever had a filling before as I'm talking about these steps, you might start to remember So the difference is between a dentist and a restorative hygienist is I use that liquid Silver diamine fluoride to take out the cavity and that's the only difference. Plus I don't do needles So a dentist, that's why they have to give you the local anesthetic first to make the tooth or teeth numb So when they're drilling out the cavity with the drill, it doesn't hurt I don't give needles because I'm not Hurting you because I'm not using a drill to take away that cavity or in some cases enamel at the same time So I don't use needles. None of that. I put the liquid in of silver diamine fluoride I put the filling in after that shine the light, you know, pack it in all of the same stuff Done, that's it. The other difference is though. I cannot take x-rays So typically especially if you have a lot of cavities a dentist does like to take x-rays afterwards to make sure That the cavity has been fully removed from the tooth and that the filling will do its job So I can't take x-rays. So after I put the liquid in to kill the cavity put the filling in I will still probably say to you at your next dental checkup with a dentist Have them take x-rays just so we can check those areas to make sure that those cavities don't come back Because something that a lot of patients don't know is you can still get cavities around a filling So just because we filled a tooth for you doesn't mean that cavity won't come back You can still get a cavity around a filling and that's where x-rays are so helpful to really check and make sure that those cavities Don't come back another thing though, too is let's say a little cavity did come back I can apply that same liquid over that cavity area to kill the cavity and stop it from getting bigger Before it gets so big that you need another filling. So I really like that silver diamine flight It's amazing. It is so much more cost effective We don't always have to drill into the tooth if the cavity is too small Has a dentist ever said to you that you have little cavities. They're going to keep an eye on it They're going to watch it because the cavity is not big enough to fill yet Well, any time I see a suspected area like that I don't just watch it because I don't want it to get bigger So what I do is I put that liquid over top and that will prevent it from getting bigger as long as you're brushing Properly, if you leave that area alone, it always gets bigger. I'm telling you it does The next time you go for your dental checkup, they will tell you guess what it's gotten bigger Now we have to fill it. So that liquid that I'm talking about truly is amazing I apply it to my own teeth I have noticed little spots sometimes where I kind of wonder if that's a cavity or not I put the liquid on when I check it say three months later. It's not sticky at all So, you know how at the dentist even the hygienist we like to poke in there, right? We we like to poke the teeth We're not doing it to be annoying. We poke in there to check Well, is that little spot sticky? Is that little stain sticky? If it is that's a good indication that it's a cavity. If it's a little sticky That's where we might say let's watch it. But I don't watch it I put the liquid on so it doesn't get stickier and get bigger if it's really sticky That's when we might say you need a fillin But let me put the liquid on for you guys so things don't get bigger This stuff works great for kids adults seniors anybody because that liquid takes two seconds Literally two second. Okay. Maybe five seconds, but it doesn't take time at all You don't need needles and that can even prevent you from getting a filling if the cavity is tiny enough But if you need a filling I can do that as well Unless I suspect that tooth needs a root canal or we have to pull the tooth That's where the dentist comes in so I don't pull tooth and I don't do root canals But I can do fillings so I hope that helps you guys let me know if you have any questions and I'll see you guys in the next video