Do you take pride in having the latest and greatest technology? Is your home theater system a source of joy, or your smart phone a reflection of your ability to keep up with the times? Having the newest technology is about more than just a status symbol. It also means taking advantage of technological improvements that can make your life easier, more efficient, and simply more fun! If you value technology, it’s important to go to a dentist who does the same. After all, advanced dental technology can help make procedures more comfortable, more precise, and even more effective. So before you schedule an appointment with just any dentist, make sure you have found one that values technology as much as you do.
Ways Technology Can Make Dental Care Even Better
Dentists have long used X-rays to help better diagnose dental issues. Fortunately, modern digital radiography produces far less radiation than traditional methods, up to 90 percent less in fact. This technology also allows for instant digital results, which means less time waiting to see whether you need a tooth filling to treat a cavity, or other restorative treatment for a dental problem.
It’s also now possible to examine the teeth using a digital intraoral camera, which allows a dentist to get a much more comprehensive picture of a patient’s oral health, before creating a treatment plan. This camera is very small, and attached to a wand that can be bent to reach around the corners of teeth, helping to create an accurate view of your overall oral health.
Laser dentistry is another great advancement, which allows for increased precision and makes anesthesia unnecessary in many cases. Using a laser also helps preserve as much of the healthy tooth as possible, as well as the oral tissues, because of how precisely it can be used to sculpt.
For patients with alignment issues or jaw pain, such as those suffering from TMJ, a pressure mapping system can be used to measure a patient’s bite and the pressure exerted. This can then help the dentist create custom mouthguards, or other treatment for addressing the symptoms of TMJ and related issues.
