By: Aleia S. Guzman

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