Is Your Dentist’s Office Truly Modern? 6 Things to Look For

When it comes to dentistry, technology and techniques tend to advance at a surprisingly fast rate. Even a mere ten years is enough for the modern landscape to change completely! The real question, though, is whether your own dentist has been keeping up with these advancements in order to bring your smile the high-quality care and protection it needs to last the rest of your life. The next time you make an appointment, try asking if your practice uses one of these 6 examples of dental innovation.

1. Laser Cavity Detection

You may have already known that you can find lasers at the dentist’s office, but did you realize that they can even be used to find cavities? Finding tooth decay in its earliest possible stages used to require the use of a metal instrument to feel around for damage, but a non-invasive laser can do the same job much more comfortably. It works by giving a readout of bacteria levels; in areas where decay is occurring, a pocket of bacteria is usually found.

2. CariVu Illuminator

CariVu is another approach to finding cavities. It emits a special light that highlights small points of decay along with cracks and crevices that might otherwise be overlooked with the naked eye. The infrared light that CariVu emits allows us to create black and white images to examine. Dark areas that absorb all light indicate the presence of decay.

3. Versatile Dental Lasers

Dental lasers can do many things, such as painlessly remove unnecessary tissue in order to reshape the gum line or sterilize infected areas in your mouth in order to encourage healing. Be sure to ask about the various procedures that can be enhanced with a dental laser.

4. Digital Impressions

You might recall having impressions of your mouth taken via messy dental putty. This process is typically very uncomfortable, and many patients end up gagging. A modern dentist prefers using digital scanners to create images that can be used in place of physical impressions in order to design crowns and other restorations.

5. Dental Cone Beam

As useful as regular X-rays are, they are limited in scope. A dental cone beam scanner rotates around your head 360 degrees in order to create a three-dimensional image of your entire mouth – including hidden nerves and underlying oral structures.

6. Intraoral Cameras

When we want to explain what’s going on in your mouth, it helps to be able to show you exactly what we see. To do this, we use an intraoral camera that is linked to a computer screen. This allows us to show you exactly what is going on in your mouth so that you fully understand the problem.

If your practices makes good use of the above technology, you can rest assured that you’ll receive highly efficient, effective care every time you schedule an appointment, no matter if it’s a routine checkup or an advanced procedure.

About Bethel Dental

Here at Bethel Dental Clinic, we are continually working on keeping up with the latest dental instruments. The technology at our practice easily rivals that of large clinics you might find in the United States or Europe, allowing us to deliver quick, precise, and comfortable care. If you have been looking for a modern dental office to trust your smile to, get in touch with us today.