High Tech Dentistry
As new technology is developed, more dentists are taking a modern approach to their field and incorporating tools that make oral care more accurate and quick for the sake of patients and doctors alike. The following are some of the latest high tech devices that dental care professionals have access to.
In recent years, there has been heightened concern about exposure to radiation. However, radiographs (x-rays) are an essential part of the dental process and are of great importance to health care professionals. When done in accordance with standard guidelines, radiographs can be taken safely. Dentists utilize radiographs when looking for a number of potential problems that cannot always be detected on the surface of a tooth. With x-rays, dentists can get a more in-depth interpretation of that status of your teeth and make more accurate, informed decisions about your oral health. A dentist will typically keep one updated set of x-rays per patient on file to use, and only take additional x-rays when problems arise that need more exposure of the situation, like the severity of a root canal.
Although radiograph procedures are safe when done properly, digital radiography is a new piece of technology that has been gaining in popularity. These filmless pictures are instantly accessible to dentists by computer and have been helpful in diagnoses and patient understanding of their oral health because the images can be enhanced and changed easily with software. This process reduces the exposure to radiation by up to 90 percent and is quickly becoming a tool utilized often by dental care providers.
Digital cameras are utilized to take full face pictures, which can be magnified so that dentists can get a clear examination of the mouth area. These can also be used during consultations as visual aids for the patient. It is also a quick and easy tool to create personalized files of patients or used to verify procedures done on patients to insurance companies.
Intraoral cameras are helpful tools that allow up-close and detailed pictures of the inside of the mouth. Dentists use them when a microdental procedure is needed, as the camera’s images on a monitor allow better visual access to the teeth than the naked eye. Many offices also use the intraoral camera and monitors for patient education so that patients can gain a clearer understanding of exactly what is going on in their oral cavity and during procedures.
Dental care providers have two types of lasers that are used for soft tissue and hard tissue repair. The use of lasers allows both soft and hard tissue to heal faster because of the reduced amount of trauma the tissue sustains compared to traditional cutting or breaking. Soft tissue lasers are used when the tissue in the mouth needs to be removed. Some procedures soft tissue lasers are used in include gingival recontouring or any lesion removals. Hard tissue lasers are used to cut teeth and bones and allow for heightened accuracy and quicker surgery times for patients.
The wand is an anesthesia tool that controls the amount of anesthesia given to a patient during procedures. It doses the patient with a computer-enhanced rate of medication, which is a more accurate way to gauge who much is needed during each visit. This reduces the prolonged numbness a patient would usually experience after having a procedure done with traditional anesthesia practices.
