The complex devices all around us — from long-range satellite links in our cars and offices to powerful computers in our hand-held gadgets — prove beyond a doubt that we live in a technology-driven world. In the field of dentistry, new technology is constantly changing the way diseases are diagnosed, routine procedures are performed, and illnesses are prevented.
Modern, Comfortable Dental Care
Although they may seem unfamiliar at first, new and improved dental technologies offer plenty of real benefits for patients. Here's a look at some of the latest examples now appearing at our office.
Cone Beam CT Imaging
What's better than an X-ray of your teeth? An on-screen, movable 3-D representation of your jaws! By taking a series of x-ray "slices" and stitching the images together with a powerful computer program, Cone Beam CT imaging creates a virtual model of your mouth. It can be used to find disease, plan procedures, and visualize internal structures that formerly wouldn't have been visible without surgery.
Dental Implants
Tooth replacement took a giant leap forward with the widespread use of dental implants — today's preferred method of replacing teeth. Dental implants are small titanium posts that replace the root part of your missing tooth. A realistic dental crown is then attached to the implant for a replacement tooth that looks and feels exactly like what nature gave you.
Digital Dental Impressions
Remember biting down on a tray of putty-like material, so a model could be made of your teeth? A digital imaging device now makes that unnecessary. Instead, your teeth can be "dusted" with a fine reflective powder, which is then recorded by a special camera. A series of images is converted into a 3D model, which can be used to assess a tooth's condition or fabricate dental restorations.
Digital X-Rays
Diagnostic X-rays have long been invaluable to dentistry. The emergence of digital technology in the past decade, however, has made dental X-rays safer and even more useful. Digital technology cuts radiation exposure to patients by as much as 90% over traditional X-rays. And there are other advantages, including the elimination of waiting time for pictures to develop and sharper images that can be enhanced instantly to show detail.
Intra-Oral Camera
A picture is worth…plenty, when it comes to helping you understand your dental examination, diagnosis and treatment! With these tiny cameras, you can see what the dentist sees, on a small chair-side monitor. The images of your teeth can be saved as stills or video — or even printed out — so you can see exactly what's happening in your mouth.
Laser Dentistry
They are inside your laptop computer and your DVD player, present on the factory floor and the supermarket checkout line. And now, lasers are finding increasing use in dentistry. Someday soon, you may have a routine dental procedure performed with the aid of a powerful, yet highly controllable beam of light.