From VOA Learning English, this is the Health and Lifestyle report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语健康和生活方式报道。
Many people fear a visit to the dentist. They are not so much afraid of the doctor, but of the dental equipment and treatments.
许多人害怕看牙医。他们不那么怕医生，但是害怕牙科器械和治疗方法。
Well, fear no more!
好了，现在不用害怕了。
A British company says it has developed technology that will end the need for mechanical cleaning of dental cavities. It also says the technology speeds up a natural process of tooth repair.
英国一家公司表示，他们已经开发出一种新技术可以取代机械清理龋齿。该公司表示，这种技术可以加速牙齿的自然修复过程。
For over a century, dentists have been repairing cavities the same way. They first remove the decayed, or bad, tooth tissue with an electric-powered drill. Then, they fill the hole in the bone with a metallic or plastic substance.
一个多世纪以来，牙医一直使用同样的方法修复蛀牙。他们首先通过电钻去除病坏的牙组织，然后用金属或塑料物资来补牙。
If the cavity is not too deep, the experience can be unpleasant. However, if it is deep, near the nerve of the tooth, it can be very painful. The worst part is that the process of drilling and filling the cavity has to be repeated for the entire life of that tooth.
如果龋齿洞不是太深，这种经历让人不太舒服。但是如果洞很深并且靠近牙齿神经，就会非常痛苦。最糟糕的是，这种补牙过程在这颗牙整个生命周期中会不断重复。
Rebecca Moazzez is a senior lecturer at King's College London. She says that this cycle lasts the rest of the tooth's life.
瑞贝卡·莫阿泽（Rebecca Moazzez）是国王学院的高级讲师。她说，这种周期在这颗牙的余生中会一直持续。
"You're really in that cycle of repair and replacement for the rest of the tooth's life."
“在这颗牙的余生中，你真的会陷入这种修补和更换的循环。”
Tooth enamel is what we see on the outside of the tooth. The enamel of a damaged tooth can be replaced naturally. This process is called re-mineralization. But it is too slow to stop bacteria from building up in small, narrow areas of the enamel.
牙釉质就是我们看到的牙齿外部。坏牙的牙釉质可以自然更新。这种过程被称之为再钙化。但是这个过程过于缓慢不能阻止细菌在牙釉质的狭小区域继续侵蚀。
A British business called Reminova has developed a method for speeding-up this natural re-mineralization of early-stage cavities.
英国一家名为雷米诺娃(Reminova)的公司开发出一种新的方法来加速早期蛀牙的自然再钙化。
Jeff Wright is head of the company.
杰夫·赖特（Jeff Wright）是该公司的负责人。
"We've just found a way to make that a much faster process. Driving healthy calcium and phosphate minerals into your enamel and, through a natural process, it will bind on and add to the enamel that's there."
他说，“我们刚刚找到一种办法让这个过程大大加快。将健康的钙和磷酸盐矿物质注入到你的牙釉质并通过一个自然的过程，它会结合并补充现有的牙釉质。”
The process begins with a cleaning of the cavity. This does not require power tools. The dentist covers the problem area with a mineral solution, and then uses an electrical current to harden this material. The electricity is too weak for the patient to feel. And the hardened mineral completely fills the cavity.
这个过程最开始是牙腔清理，并不需要用到电动工具。牙医用矿物溶液覆盖问题区域，并施加电流硬化这种材料。电流非常微弱，患者不会有感觉。而硬化的矿物质会完全填满牙腔。
Researchers say this method could be especially useful for children. Sometimes children have bad experiences at the dentist. They fear the drilling and injections. Who wouldn't be afraid? Better experiences as a child might lead to more visits to the dentist as an adult.
研究人员表示，这种方法对儿童尤为有效。有时候孩子有过看牙医的糟糕经历。他们害怕钻洞和注射填充物质。谁不怕呢？小时候更好的经历可能会让他们在成年后更常去看牙医。
Dr. Barry Quinn works as a consultant at King's College.
巴里·奎恩（Barry Quinn）博士担任国王学院的顾问。
"If children have a better experience of going to the dentist, so they haven't had the necessary drilling and injections for routine fillings, then they'll be much more positive in later life and probably become much more regular patients."
他说，“如果孩子看牙医时有更好的体验，没必要钻孔和注射填充物，这样他们在以后的生活中就会更加积极，更有可能定期就诊。”
Dentists say the new method is most efficient on early-stage cavities. The whole treatment lasts about as long as a normal drill-and-fill visit. Researchers say they believe the new method can be further developed for treating late-stage cavities.
牙医表示，这种新方法对早期蛀牙最为有效。整个治疗过程和传统钻洞修补所用的时间大致相同。研究人员表示，他们认为这种新疗法可以进一步发展用于治疗晚期蛀牙。
And they are quick to note that regular cleaning with fluoride toothpaste helps prevent cavities in the first place.
而且他们很快提醒大家，使用含氟牙膏定期刷牙有助于从一开始就防止蛀牙。
And that's the Health and Lifestyle report.
以上就是本期健康和生活方式报道的全部内容。
I'm Anna Matteo.
我是安娜·马特奥。

本栏目视频字幕与文本并不完全对应，且视频播放缓冲时间较长，敬请谅解！