What Technology Is Used In Dentistry?

As a dentist, I belong to a profession with a long and storied history. People, after all, have been looking after their teeth for thousands of years! That said, today’s dental technology is far more advanced than what came before. Modern science gives dentists unique tools for improving patients’ smiles. In fact, I can even tell you about them in detail. To that end, here are four pieces of modern technology used in present-day dentistry. 

Intraoral Cameras
In earlier times, a dentist could only use their eyes to assess your mouth’s health. Well, not anymore – intraoral cameras make oral exams more precise than ever.

Put simply, an intraoral camera is one that takes pictures of your mouth’s hard-to-reach areas. It can capture enlarged, detailed images of your teeth, gums, and other oral tissues. As a result, the dentist can show you potential oral issues on a chairside computer monitor. You can then make informed treatment plans with confidence you’ll receive good care.

All Digital X-Rays

If you’re of a certain age, your dentist likely took physical X-rays of your mouth at one point. However, this approach isn’t well-favored these days. Instead, many dentists now employ all-digital X-rays.

Compared to traditional X-rays, digital ones are safer and more effective. While the former types were slowly developed using hazardous chemicals, the latter types are immediately visible on a computer monitor. It’s thus easy to show their images to patients, save them, and share them with specialists or dental labs.

3D Cone Beam Imaging

Until recently, dentists had to rely on tedious methods to visualize your oral cavity. Now, however, many of them can rely on 3D cone beam imaging.

3D Cone beam imaging is an innovative X-ray scanning technology. In particular, it employs a cone beam scanner to provide a three-dimensional image of your mouth. That way, dentists can easily see your teeth, soft tissues, and nerve pathways.

Presently, cone beam images are crucial to treating complex oral health concerns. Without them, procedures like dental implants and Invisalign would be much harder.

Soft Tissue Lasers

Within cosmetic dentistry, one major advancement was the creation of soft tissue lasers. These items made a whole host of procedures quite easy.

To be specific, soft tissue lasers let dentists target specific areas of pigmentation. As such, it can remove excess gum tissue to treat “gummy smiles” and cauterize the treated region. That last effect, especially, minimizes bleeding during the procedure. Consequently, it allows patients to heal more safely following the visit.

ITero Digital Scanner

Getting a restoration or oral appliance at certain practices can be uncomfortable to say the least. Using a putty-like substance, the dental professional presses the impressions against your upper and lower teeth for several minutes. During this time, some patients gag!

But the iTero digital scanner takes all the discomfort and unpleasantness out of the process. The device easily fits in the mouth and scans oral structures for the lab to create custom restorations and appliances that are designed specifically to fit your mouth.

As you can see, dental technology hasn’t stayed still during dentistry’s rise. So, take advantage of the tools above when visiting your local dentist!