Advanced Dental Technology
Better Technology for Better Health
Because we strive to take care of our patients’ entire bodies rather than just their teeth, we rely on technology to help us make accurate diagnoses and provide the most conservative treatment possible. Many of the instruments listed below enable us to gather highly detailed information before making any treatment recommendations, ensuring they are in line with both your dental and wellness goals.
Intraoral Camera
Rather than just shining a bright light into your eyes to examine your mouth, we can use a small device no larger than a pen to take close-up, high-resolution pictures that we can then display on a nearby monitor. This means you’ll see your smile from your dentist’s perspective. Our camera not only makes it easier for our team to spot potential problems, but it will also make it easier for you to understand why you might need a particular procedure, because rather than just saying you have a cavity, we can show it to you.
Digital X-Rays
X-rays are essential in dentistry because they give us the ability to look at the roots of the teeth and nearby bone — structures that are hidden below the gumline. In addition to being much faster and showing more detail compared to old film X-rays, digital X-rays also expose patients (and our team!) to 80-90% less radiation, making this a safe alternative to traditional radiography.
CT/Cone Beam Scanner
Instead of just creating one image like an X-ray, our CT/cone beam scanner (also called a CBCT scanner) takes several images of your mouth at different angles, and these are pieced together to create a highly detailed 3D model that shows all of your teeth, both jaws, and the surrounding oral structures. We use this tool to help us plan complicated procedures like dental implant placement, plus we can find and fix cavitations (bone infections that are hidden from the naked eye).
Digital Impression System
Rather than having a patient bite into a mold filled with messy dental putty to create an impression, we quickly scan their mouth with a small wand, and that’s it! It takes about five minutes for us to generate a perfect digital impression of a patient’s teeth that we can use to design restorations or plan orthodontic treatment.
Soft Tissue Laser
Laser dentistry has many applications, and in our office, we primarily use it to treat the gums. Rather than using a traditional scalpel to make incisions in sensitive tissue, we can gently and precisely remove infected or excess gums with a concentrated beam of light. It emits almost no heat, sound, or vibration, so the patient barely feels anything while in the chair. Plus, it cauterizes blood vessels and nerve endings while it works, so post-treatment swelling and discomfort are practically eliminated!
