5 Ways Modern Dental Technology Improves Your Experience
How Technology Can Change Your Smile
Modern dentistry has evolved leaps and bounds over the last few decades, especially when it comes to the dental tools, technology and equipment available to our dentists and their teams.
Adults who’ve been to the dentist recently may have noticed big differences in how comfortable and efficient routine examinations, cleanings, and procedures are compared to their earlier experiences. This naturally leaves many patients curious about how our new gadgets and dental tools are improving their dental visits.
Here are 5 examples of how our high-tech dental tools and equipment help us give our patients their best smiles ever.
1. Laser dentistry helps you relax, thanks to more comfortable, drill-free dental treatments.
Laser therapy is popular throughout the medical industry for everything from non-invasive procedures to surgery, and the same therapy is available for dentistry.
The idea of laser dentistry can seem a bit scary to patients who initially don’t understand how beneficial lasers can be. The truth is laser dentistry not only allows our dentists to provide highly accurate and effective care, but our patients will also feel more comfortable than ever.
Lasers are incredibly precise dental tools and are exceptionally flexible in how they can be used. Berrien Dental patients will be pleased to know that our Fotona LightWalker Laser system can be used for everything from tooth whitening to drill-free cavity fillings. Some of the benefits include less pain and swelling, faster treatment, a lower risk of infection, and faster overall healing time.
Read more about why we (and our patients) love laser dentistry on our website.
2. The DIAGNOdent caries (cavities) detector pen ensures that no cavity or spot of decay is left behind.
Tooth decay is the most common dental health issue among children and adults, from toddlers to seniors. It’s responsible for a number of problems, including painful toothaches, tooth loss, and gum inflammation. Since tooth decay is best treated as early as possible, we use the DIAGNOdent detection system to ensure we don’t miss any cavities.
The DIAGNOdent is pen-like in its design and inside is a powerful laser that picks up any signs of caries. As the laser scans over your teeth, a fluorescence will glow to alert your dentist that decay is present. This scanning process is extremely accurate and eliminates the potential for a missed spot of decay in tough-to-see places.
Early detection of decay plays a big role in helping our patients maintain healthy smiles and prevent problems from exacerbating, making our DIAGNOdent a must-have for our practice.
3. iTero intraoral cameras mean you can skip that unpleasant part of getting dental impressions and X-rays.
If you’ve ever undergone the less-than-pleasant experience of sitting with a mouth full of putty when having a dental impression taken, chances are you’d like to avoid it in the future. Our patients will be happy to know that we can take digital impressions, as well as digital X-rays, instead.
We use the iTero intraoral scanner to take a complete digital 3D map of your mouth in just seconds. The iTero gives us a much more accurate view of what’s going on with your teeth, whether we’re trying to diagnose problems or help you get started with Invisalign treatment. It also means you don’t have to experience messy putty or sit around with a bothersome plastic sensor in your mouth while having X-rays taken.
Patients who are already in pain, children, and anyone with a sensitive gag reflex will find that the iTero scanner makes their examination much more enjoyable.
4. Ultrasonic scalers allow your hygienist to give you a powerful yet gentle professional cleaning.
Seeing your dentist every six months for an exam and professional cleaning is one of the most important things you can do for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Our hygienists will use a couple of different dental tools during your cleaning, but one of the high-tech ones includes ultrasonic scalers.
Traditional scaling involves the use of manual dental tools to scrape the surface of your teeth to remove plaque and tartar buildup. Ultrasonic scaling is faster and much more powerful, but most importantly, it gets the job done while keeping you comfortable. The ultrasonic technology is highly effective at cleaning the surface of the teeth, so our hygienists are able to get the most thorough clean and polish possible during your dental hygiene visit.