Most people are familiar with the ozone layer, a protective region of the upper stratosphere some 30 miles above the Earth’s surface, where the sun’s short-wave ultraviolet rays convert oxygen into ozone. The ozone combines with pollutants in the air and cleans the upper atmosphere. The resulting smog, being heavier then air, settles above the urban areas where the pollutants originated.

In the body, ozone is naturally produced by our cells and kills harmful bacteria, making us healthier. The ozone molecule has three oxygen atoms and is an activated, more energetic form of oxygen.

To the left is an electron micrograph of a harmful E. coli bacterium being killed by ozone. The circular hole at the top of the E. coli was made as ozone blew a hole through the E. coli’s lipoprotein cell wall (killing it).

Harmful bacteria are destroyed by ozone because their cell walls lack protective anti-oxidant enzymes. Fortunately, healthy cells have anti-oxidant enzymes in their cell walls that protect them from oxidants like ozone. Since ozone is a natural therapy, it works well in the body to kill harmful bacteria that cause both tooth decay and infections.

In the dental office, ozone is used to disinfect a tooth before a filling is placed or before root canal therapy is completed. This is important because although a tooth may look like all the decay is cleaned out, the tiny bacteria can invade the deeper portions of the tooth (dentin) and get close to the nerve. If these hidden bacteria are left in the tooth, the tooth can get another cavity and the nerve can become infected, resulting in swelling and pain.

A few holistic dentists use ozone to get the deeper portions of the tooth disinfected before putting a filling in the tooth and prior to completing root canal therapy. By using ozone, a dentist gets a very clean tooth surface and can be sure not to trap bacteria inside the tooth, which can lead to an infection later. 

So how do we get ozone to the tooth? Medical grade oxygen (O2) from an oxygen tank flows into an ozone generator, which changes some of the O2 into O3 (ozone). The ozone/oxygen mixture comes out of the ozone generator and goes into silicon tubes that bring it to the tooth.

This ozone/oxygen mixture creates a transient oxidative burst, which the unwanted microorganisms have no natural defense against. It’s a natural holistic therapy that safely and effectively disinfects the area treated. The oxidative burst also induces a multitude of natural biochemical and physiological reactions that include better blood flow, enhanced immune response and a more rapid healing response.

As more people become holistically oriented, they demand natural and healthy remedies, such as ozone, before relying on overused and increasingly ineffective antibiotic drugs. Ozone is a wonderful gift from nature that we can harness and use for good health.

As a holistic dentist with advanced ozone certification, Dr. Michael Taras uses ozone in his dental practice, located at 2900 Hamilton Blvd., in Allentown, at no charge to his patients. For more information, call 610-432-1320 or visit DrTarasDentist.com.