Advancements in dental technology can offer you
modern solutions to traditional dental problems. The
driving force behind technological advances is a desire
to provide you with leading edge dental treatment that
can be performed in a more efficient, effective,
comfortable manner. It also helps in detecting dental
problems in an early stage.
• Air-abrasion
• Bone replacement
• Autogenous Man Made Bone Replacement
• Cadaver/Animal Bone Replacement
• CAD/CAM (also known as CEREC-one visit dentistry)
• Caries Detection Solution
• CAT Scans
• Diagnodent
• Desensitizers
• Digital X-rays
• Electric Hand Pieces
• Intra-Oral Camera
• Lasers
• Optical Scanners
• Microscope
• NTI Splint
• Periodontal Antibiotics
• VELscope
• ViziLite
• Periometer
• The Wand
• Orthophos XG5 – Digital Pano and Ceph Xray
• Digital Photography
Serving as an alternative to a traditional dental drill, an air-
abrasion system is primarily used to treat small cavities, preserving
healthy tooth structure without the use of a local anesthetic. Air-
abrasion allows for the precise removal of decay through a blast of
pellets consisting of air and aluminum oxide. The air-abrasion
technique can also be used to help repair old tooth restorations by
accessing difficult areas such as those between the teeth.
There are three types of bone replacement used to assist people suffering from bone loss or those requiring extraction:
• Autogenous Man Made Bone Replacement: A freeze dried material that is made in the laboratory.
• Cadaver/Animal Bone Replacement: Bone that is preserved, processed and sterilized from a deceased individual or animal source.
• Grafting Bone Replacement: Bone taken from another area of the body, such as the iliac crest section of the pelvis.
Platelet-rich growth factors can help induce rapid bone
growth and healing. It is used in bone replacement and offers
rapid healing properties. Bone replacement performed by
clinicians today is more refined than in the past and can be more
easily assimilated into the existing bone structure.
allows for the fabrication of dental restorations through
computerized technology. Your dentist may work with CAD/CAM in the
office to complete tooth restorations in one visit that would otherwise
require two visits to complete. Perfectly fitted restorations are
designed in three dimensions. With CEREC technology, we can restore
decayed teeth, design and place porcelain crowns, replace amalgam
fillings, design and place inlays, onlays , dental bridges and dental
veneers in one appointment.
Caries detection solution is a liquid red dye that is
applied over a tooth to confirm that all tooth decay is removed
from an affected area that has been treated. This solution is very
similar to plaque disclosing tablets that are used after brushing
to highlight any areas you missed or that aren't thoroughly
cleaned.
A 3-D image CAT scan is used to help implantologists (dentists who
provide surgical and restorative implant services) view and work on the
jawbone or surrounding bone structure to produce more accurate results.
CAT scan technology has become increasingly specialized for dentistry as
implants, rather than dentures, have become the standard of care for
tooth replacement.
Diagnodent is a tool used for the early detection of cavities. The
advanced technology uses sound pulse and laser to detect caries earlier
than traditional methods allowed, so that treatment can commence
immediately limiting the amount of decay allowed to occur. This helps
preserve the maximum amount of natural healthy tooth structure.
Desensitizers can be used by your dentist or hygienist
prior to dental treatment if you have sensitive teeth, so that you
are comfortable throughout treatment. Desensitizers can be
used alone or in conjunction with other pain and anxiety relief
modalities such as a local anesthetic or sedation dentistry.
Digital radiography (digital x-ray) is the latest technology used
to take dental x-rays. This technique uses an electronic sensor (instead
of x-ray film) that captures and stores the digital image on a computer.
This image can be instantly viewed and enlarged helping the dentist
and dental hygienist detect problems easier. Digital x-rays reduce
radiation 80-90% compared to the already low exposure of traditional
dental x-rays.
• abscesses or cysts bone loss
• cancerous and non-cancerous tumors
• decay between the teeth
• developmental abnormalities
• poor tooth and root positions problems inside a tooth or below the gum line
• Detecting and treating dental problems at an early stage may save you time, money, unnecessary discomfort, and your teeth!
Electric hand pieces can assist in hygiene procedures and
can be used with rotary cutting instruments. Electric hand pieces
offer a smooth delivery of material which puts less stress on the
healthy tooth structure. They are often quieter too.
Intra-oral cameras can produce accurate images of your
teeth and the supporting structure. This allows you, your dentist
and a dental technician that might be involved in your
treatment, to see tooth defects. Intra-oral cameras also help you
to learn more about dental hygiene practices, including where to
focus on brushing your teeth.
Lasers offer reduced discomfort and in some cases, a suture
free option for the treatment of benign tumors, cold sores, crown
lengthening, decay removal, gummy smile changes, dental fillings,
tongue tie and speech impediment improvements, nerve regeneration
for damaged nerves and blood vessels and scars. Lasers may also be
applied in the treatment of select dental conditions such as sleep
apnea, certain cases of TMD and tooth sensitivity. This is a very
exciting area of development in dental technologies. Lasers use light
energy as their method of operation, resulting in a shortened and
almost painless healing period.
Optical Scanners provide a digital map of the tooth and
create a 3-D replica model of the dental structure. This helps in
accurate color analysis for cosmetic restorations made in a
dental laboratory such as porcelain veneers, crowns and bridges.
The use of microscopes in dentistry has been one of the latest
trends to perfect acute vision for dentists. Microscopes offer dentists
the ability to see micro-cracks, weakened underlying tooth structure
and the proximity of the dental nerves with precise accuracy.
Microscopes also offer more accuracy in removing affected tooth
structure while preserving healthy tooth structure. The microscope is
an improved diagnostic tool as well as a treatment-assist dental tool.
The NTI splint is an anterior splint used for TMD patients.
The NTI and other splints, such as the Kois Deprogrammer have
the potential application of helping to treat patients affected by
migraine headaches.
There are "site specific" antibiotics that are designed to
concentrate the treatment in specific locations. Periodontal
antibiotics are applied directly to the diseased site, enhancing
the effectiveness of treatment for periodontal disease.
VELscope is a brand new FDA-approved oral cancer
screening system that uses incandescent light so your dentist can
see abnormalities that may not be apparent or visible to the
naked eye. VELscope is also used by oral surgeons to help
identify diseased tissue around a lesion and determine the
appropriate margin for surgical excision.
ViziLite is a recently approved oral lesion identification
and marking device. It is a painless screening tool for the
detection of small changes in your mouth. Vizilite also identifies,
evaluates and monitors oral abnormalities in patients who are at
increased risk for oral cancer.
The Periometer is an instrumented percussion diagnostic
system designed for a range of dental applications, including
monitoring implant osseointegration and the formation of cracks in
natural teeth. Thus far, the results have been correlated with the
presence and location of defects as well as the overall dynamic
properties of any oral structure. The use of the Periometer for
determining optimum dental therapeutics has also been explored.
Current research indicates that routine use of the Periometer in a
dental practice can be critically important for avoiding catastrophic
failure of both implants and teeth.
The Wand is a computerized tool that can deliver
anesthesia in a slow and methodic manner. The sensation of pain
often associated with an injection is caused as a result of the
pressure of the liquid being injected. The slow and gentle
delivery associated with The Wand often makes injections
painless. The delivery holder is small making it easy to use.
allows us to produce high quality diagnostic images for
general orthodontic procedures involving braces and Invisalign.
What does this mean for our patients? It means you won’t need
to be sent out for these x-rays and can begin your new treatment
on day one.
At Modern Dental, we use digital photography so that we can
adapt a photograph for a patient so that they can provide them with
an idea of what they will look like after a complex dental procedure
such as a smile makeover or full mouth reconstruction. It also allows
us to provide a better visualization of processes for our patients. This is
appealing because our patients can work with our cosmetic dentist to
inform them of what they want to look like and what their
expectations are.
• http://www.yourdentistryguide.com/dental-technologies/
• http://www.moderndentalchicago.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=339
• http://dentalbydesign.com/our-practice/dental-technology
• http://www.arrowsmiledental.com/services/dental-technology/
• Google images