To the dentist at ease

2002/10/18 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Teknologia

At the dentist, for many the worst is the noise produced by the drill and the powders and vibrations it produces. Now, thanks to a device they have presented in Science, everything seems to be overcome, since at Tel Aviv University in Israel they have invented a microwave-based drill.

Other methods of drilling materials such as electromagnetic and laser radiation have been tested. But they are expensive. The microwave, on the other hand, is a cheap device with very satisfactory results: it can form holes of diameter between a millimeter and a centimeter, even in harder materials such as ceramics, concrete, basalt, silica and glass. Therefore, it can be used for many jobs.

The drill is similar to a needle by which microwaves are emitted that melt the material at one point. The changes that occur in the material once the initial hole is made contribute to greater energy absorption. However, there are materials in which this method cannot be used, for example, the melting point of the sapphire is too high, while the steel is a good heat conductor and cannot heat a concrete point sufficient to make the hole.