What comes to mind when you hear the word “technology?” If you’re like most people, you think of items such as computers, tablets, cell phones...items we use regularly but that are often upgraded over time.
In dentistry, we use quite a bit of technology every day. Over the past several decades, new technologies have been introduced, and existing ones were improved and upgraded, with many shifting to an all-digital platform.
Some of the technology we use to care for our patients include:
DIGITAL X-RAYS: Up until about 1990, the only way to take X-rays was to use film, which then had to be developed in a darkroom. In the decades to follow, dental offices gradually transitioned over to digital x-rays, which uses an electronic sensor attached to a computer screen and produces a high quality, high-resolution image.
Although traditional dental X-rays have always been safe and emitted low levels of radiation, the introduction of digital technology significantly reduced the amount of radiation needed to produce the image, making dental X-rays even safer.
Our office has always utilized digital X-ray technology.
INTRAORAL CAMERA: Intraoral cameras are small devices that take actual photographs of your teeth. The camera is attached to our computer and produces enlarged images of areas that may not be easy to see with a dental mirror alone.
CariVu™ INFRARED TRANSILLUMINATION: Transillumination refers to shining a light through an object. DEXIS CariVu™ is a small device that uses transillumination technology to help identify decay and cracks that may not be clearly evident on an X-ray. CariVu™ hugs the tooth and bathes it in safe, near-infrared light. It is attached to our computer and produces enlarged images.
It is not a substitute for X-rays, but used as an adjunct. This device emits no radiation.
DIGITAL SCANNING/IMPRESSIONS(also referred to as a 3D intraoral scanner): Dental impressions are used to create crowns, bridges, dentures, implant restorations, orthodontic aligners and more. Traditional impressions use trays filled with material – but that is a thing of the past since digital Impressions/3D Scanning has arrived at our office in January, 2020.
With a 3D digital scanner, it is literally like waving a magic wand! Using a special wand with a lighted tip, the scanner can take a full impression of your entire mouth in minutes without using trays filled with material. Digital impressions create a 3D model that can be manipulated on the computer.
Questions? Please call us directly at (781)-942-2020 or send us a message through our Contact page.
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