Innovations In Dental Technology

By Sandhya Pal, DDS

Pal Family Dentistry

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Innovations In Dental Technology

In the past several years, a number of new dental advances in digital imaging technology have changed the way that dental care is delivered. This is great news for patients and dentists alike.

Let's define digital imaging technologies. Plainly put, digital imaging refers to technologies that allow the dentist to capture images of your mouth without the use of film. Think of it as digital cameras that you use every day for photography but designed to capture images of your mouth.

Intra-oral cameras refer to small cameras mounted on top of a wand that are used inside your mouth to capture close-up images of your teeth. These cameras provide a very accurate picture of the surface of the teeth. Your dentist can use these snapshot images to help you visualize and understand the condition of your oral health.

Digital imaging technologies are also replacing traditional film-based x-rays. Digital radiography provides your dentist with the ability to store x-ray images on a computer. The advantages over film is in the ability of the software to enhance and zoom in on parts of your tooth, aiding in diagnostics. They allow dental offices to communicate images electronically, allowing for simpler referrals and, where applicable, easier insurance claim submission. Digital x-rays appear instantly and accurately diagnosis problems, potential problems, or better yet, determine that all's well with your teeth.

The final technology I'd like to review is perhaps one of the most exciting for the few patients and dentists that have had the opportunity to experience it chair-side CAD/CAM technology. This imaging technology, combined with a sophisticated ceramic milling machine, gives the dentist the ability to produce tooth-colored ceramic crown restorations on-site.

Simply put, this new system allows dentists to use an intraoral camera to reproduce the three-dimensional nature of the tooth. The image is used by a software program to design a customized restoration to perfectly match your teeth. This design is immediately sent to a milling unit, which creates your crown in the dental office in less than an hour. Traditionally, a temporary crown is placed for several weeks while a dental laboratory fabricates the restoration off-site. The patient returns weeks later, the temporary is removed, and then the laboratory-made crown is cemented or bonded in place. That's changed with the Cerec. Now, with this technology, crowns are milled while you wait and delivered on the same day.

It's a great time in dentistry, and digital technologies, such as intraoral cameras, digital x-rays, and the

CerecOmnicam, are changing they way we do dentistry dramatically. While CAD/CAM technology is spreading rapidly, not every dentist is using these technologies in their office today because of the investment and extensive training; in fact, less than 15 percent of dentists in the United States utilize the CAD/CAM technology in their office. Now's the time to check with your dentist to see how they're using dental technologies to enhance your dental experience.