Advanced Dental Technology for Better Diagnosis

One of the keys to receiving high quality dental treatment from any dentist that you visit is that the dentist is able to make a quick, proper and concise diagnosis of any condition that you may have. It is only through the diagnosis that a course of treatment can be recommended to you so that you can receive the best and most thorough oral care possible. In the past, dentists may not have been able to fully see everything that was going on in your mouth, perhaps causing them to overlook or bypass areas that were actually problems but had not manifested into larger issues yet. Advanced dental technology today has allowed dentists to come up with much better diagnoses than in the past so that they can treat all kinds of problems before they can develop into worse situations.

One of the greatest advances that have been made in the last twenty years involves the use of x-rays. In the past, the old system of x-rays could take some time in developing, was a laborious process and did not always provide the best images possible for a dentist, making it possible that they may miss something going on with your teeth that was a potential problem area. Technology has changed x-rays significantly to the point where digital x-rays are becoming more of the norm in the dental industry today. Digital images can appear on the computer seconds after they are taken to given the dentist an image and through the use of the computer the dentist is able to zoom in on the image to get a more precise picture and assess problem areas that can then be shown to the patient. Digital x-rays not only give a better image, but use much less radiation than previous methods, making them safer for everyone.

Cavity detection has always been one of the most important aspects of a dentist’s job and the more efficiently it can be done the better it is for all involved. Through the use of technology, a device known as DIAGNodent dentists are now able to find cavities that may have been hiding from the view of x-rays. This device is a laser cavity detector that can scan a patient’s mouth, particularly in areas and zones where tooth decay is likely to occur but remain undetected until the problem has largely festered. This device allows dentists to find cavities while they are in early stages to make treatment better and more efficient for both you and the dentist. When this device’s use is combined with x-rays it makes it almost impossible for any cavity to remain hidden from view.

Technology has also led to the creation of the intraoral camera. This camera is small and shaped like a pen and almost seems like a spy device, but it allows dentists to closely examine and see areas in your mouth that may normally be hard to get at for them to get a clear view. The dentist can then show the patient the images being viewed on a computer monitor so problems such as fractures in teeth or gum disease can be viewed and seen by both doctor and patient so you can be aware of the diagnosis and what treatment needs to be performed.

The better a diagnosis that a dentist can provide for you the better treatment you are going to receive each time. AS technology continues to improve, more and more advance as are being made and better tools are becoming available for dentists to use so they can make the best diagnosis possible and provide you with better quality and more efficient care.

Author Bio: Dr. Gary Moore is a Stetson Hills Dentist and he is married with two children and he graduated at Loma Linda University, School of Dentistry. He loves fishing, hunting and spending time with his family.