A new technique will enable dentists to repair tooth decay without performing dreaded drilling and fillings. It means that trips to the dentist will become less painful. The technique has been developed at King's College London. The technique is intended to reverse tooth decay by using electrical currents to boost the tooth's natural repair process.

The technique simply replaces minerals that are lost during decay, leading to development of painful cavities. Thus, the need for drilling and fillings of resin or amalgam is avoided.

The technique is called as Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced Remineralisation (EAER) and its quick progression will make it available within three years. Professor Nigel Pitts, from the Dental Institute at King's College London, said, "The way we treat teeth today is not ideal - when we repair a tooth by putting in a filling, that tooth enters a cycle of drilling and re-filling as, ultimately, each repair fails".

The device has been found to be successful during trials and offers a very healthy treatment for tooth decay. Moreover, it is very cost-effective and can even be used to whiten teeth.

Tooth decay affects around 2.3 billion people worldwide. Tooth decay kicks off as a microscopic defect and minerals begin to come out of the tooth and the enamel is eventually weakened.

A Scottish company, Reminova, is making efforts to seek private investment in order to develop the technique. If the funding is arranged soon, then EAER has very high chances to hit the market within three years.

The King's College London Dental Innovation and Translation Centre has established the company. The technique is the second to be developed in recent months for treating the pain of root canal surgery.