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Posted: Wednesday, August 31st, 2016

Effective Treatment for Cavities Delayed by the FDA

   A simple solution applied directly to the tooth has shown an 80% effective treatment of tooth decay has finally been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but the treatment has been available in Japan for decades.  According to The New York Times, the solution called silver diamine fluoride is an antimicrobial liquid that can be brushed on cavities to stop tooth decay.  Dr. Richard Niederman, the chairman of the epidemiology and health promotion department at the New York University College of Dentistry, told the Times, "Being able to paint it [silver diamine fluoride]on in 30 seconds with no noise, no drilling, is better, faster, cheaper."  The only adverse effect of the treatment is that it causes staining on the cavity site. Yet the FDA is so slow and inefficient that an inexpensive and thorough treatment has been kept from American patients by bureaucratic red tape.

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