New Technologies
Technological advances are revolutionizing the practice of dentistry.
We have already discussed many of the recent advances in materials and techniques for restoring your teeth. In addition to these changes, there are many more that are impacting dentistry. We are committed to keeping pace with these changes and would like to highlight some of these new technologies.
COMPUTERS
The first thing you might see that is different from what you are used to is that we have computers in all of the doctor treatment rooms. Having this technology allows us to have, at our fingertips, a tremendous amount of pertinent information regarding your past treatment and current treatment plan. With a few clicks we can change or update your treatment plan, check your insurance coverage, find out when your next appointment is or even make you a new one.
DIGITAL CAMERA
One of the most useful new technologies we have incorporated into our practice is digital photography. Using a digital camera, we can display, almost instantaneously, photos of you and your teeth and store these records on our computers. Each day, we seem to find additional uses for this camera.
- Document the condition of your teeth and gums.
- Evaluate your existing smile and design corrections and enhancements.
- Have at our fingertips a photo of you so that we can put a face to a name.
- Document lesions or conditions that may be of concern so that we can determine if anything has changed.
- Take photos of your teeth and e-mail them to the dental lab so that we can match the shade of a new crown to your existing teeth.
- E-mail photos of conditions or lesions to specialists so that we can discuss your case or condition.
AIR ABRASION
Air abrasion is a new technology that allows "needle free" dentistry. An air abrasion unit is like a mini-sand blaster. It utilizes a special abrasive powder, under high pressure, to literally "blast" decay away; generally with no more sensation than that of having air blown on the tooth. No local anesthesia is necessary. Unfortunately, it cannot be used in all cases. It can only be used on small cavities on the tops and sides of the teeth. By catching cavities while they are small, we can utilize this technology and eliminate the unpleasantness of local anesthesia.
"THE WAND" COMPUTER CONTROLLED ANESTHESIA DELIVERY SYSTEM
When local anesthesia is necessary, we have a new device that helps to make this a more pleasant experience. "The Wand" is a computer controlled anesthetic delivery system. By utilizing this system we can deliver local anesthesia in a much more controlled and generally more comfortable manner. Administering anesthesia slowly is the secret to giving it comfortably and 'The Wand" can dispense the anesthesia literally one drop at a time. "The Wand" also opens up the possibility of new types of injections that will often allow us to anesthetize only a single tooth. The beauty of this is that the tooth is numb, but you do not have that sensation of having a fat lip or tongue. "The Wand" can be used in most, but not all situations where we need to administer local anesthesia.
DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY
The most exciting new technology we are now using is Digital Radiography. Instead of using a traditional x-ray film, we use a special sensor that will transmit the image directly into the computer. This image can then be enlarged, enhanced or even colorized to allow for better diagnosis. We will still use x-rays to create the image but at doses up to 50% less than was previously required. Our new digital panoramic unit now makes us 100% digital!