High Tech Dentistry
DIAGNOdent
DIAGNOdent is an advanced laser technology that helps us find tooth decay. We use it along with visual examination, dental explorers, and x-rays.
Visual examination and dental explorers are often useful for finding decay on the surfaces of teeth. We may also use x-rays to help us find advanced decay and decay between teeth. We add DIAGNOdent to help us locate decay that’s hidden inside the tooth where visual examination, explorers, and x-rays can’t find it.
How does DIAGNOdent work?
The tip of the DIAGNOdent hand piece scans your teeth with harmless pulses of laser lights. When the laser reached decay under the surface of the tooth, the decay emits a fluorescent light. This fluorescent light bounces back to the sensor, and is translated into an audible signal and a digital readout. In general, the higher the number, the greater the amount of decay in the tooth.
With DIAGNOdent, we can more accurately and reliably fid decay in it earliest stages, before it causes more widespread damage. This early extensive and expensive treatment Your restorations will be smaller and less costly, and you’ll be able to retain more of your own natural, healthy tooth.
Digital X-ray Technology
Digital radiography
The computer era has brought us an exciting new technology called digital radiography. With this technology, we use computerized equipment and software to capture x-ray images of your mouth and teeth. We do this by exposing a small sensor or plate that feeds the image into a computer.
The advantages of digital radiography:
Digital radiography has many advantages over traditional dental x-rays:
- It’s faster.
- It’s safer, with no chemical development and less radiation.
- We can view images instantly.
- We can enhance images to improve viewing.
- Images can be stored electronically and emailed to specialists and insurance companies.
Taking x-rays is faster because the sensor is merely moved from tooth to tooth, and your x-ray can be seen on a computer monitor just moments after exposure. There’s no waiting for chemical development, as with film packets. It’s also faster because the x-rays are available within moments on the computer monitor, with no development step in between.
The lack of chemicals also makes digital x-rays safer for the environment. Digital radiography is safe for you, too. Because the unit is so sensitive, the amount of x-ray radiation is up to 80% less than with conventional x-rays.
Digital x-ray technology enables more efficient diagnosis and treatment because it provides a large, easy-to-see image, and it allows us to make adjustments and see details in the x-ray images. The digital x-rays can then become part of your dental record and be easily emailed to specialists and insurance companies.
With digital radiography, we can offer you faster and safer diagnosis and dental treatment.
Intraoral Camera
An intraoral camera is a highly advanced innovation in dentistry that allows us to get close-up view inside your mouth.
The intraoral camera hand piece is approximately the size and shape of a dental mirror. It has a built-in light source, so it gives us easy-to-see video and still pictures.
We can zoom in on one tooth or give you a video tour of your entire mouth. The images are displayed on a television or computer monitor, so you’ll be able to see problems such as worn or broken fillings, cracked teeth, plaque deposits, cavities next to fillings, gum disease or excessive wear. And after we’ve treated your dental condition, the intraoral camera lets you see, up close, your beautiful, healthy teeth and gums.
Images captured with an intraoral camera can often be printed out for you to take home or for us to store with your dental record. They can also be sent to specialists and insurance companies.
You can see what we see
The intraoral camera allows you to be an active partner in your dental treatment by enabling you to see what we see inside your mouth. With a clear understanding of your dental conditions, you’ll be able to make treatment decisions with confidence.