Technology

Our intraoral camera makes it easy for you to see exactly what we see!

This small digital camera, which is about the size of a pen, transmits images to a chairside monitor so that we can easily explain any areas of concern and treatment plans. We can show you areas of decay or developing periodontal disease. Because the first symptoms of these conditions are so subtle, they can easily go unnoticed by patients. Once you have an idea of what's happening in your mouth, however, it's much easier to make informed decisions about your health care. 

Modern digital x-rays offer a number of major improvements over older, traditional film x-rays. 

Perhaps the biggest advantage is the fact that digital x-rays expose patients to about 90% less radiation than film x-rays! 

Other huge advantages of digital x-rays include: 

• Images are transmitted almost instantaneously. No more waiting around for films to develop.

• The images can be viewed on a chairside monitor so you can see exactly what we see. 

• Digital images allow us to zoom in or highlight certain parts of the image so we can better explain a diagnosis.

• Digital images don't require film storage or chemicals for development, making them a more environmentally friendly option.

• We can securely send digital images electronically to specialists or your insurance company, allowing for more prompt coordination of care.

Do you remember the last time you had an impression taken? Chances are- if you’re anything like many of our patients- it was an experience that you were all-too-happy to forget! Impressions were a technique that we would use to record different aspects of your mouth. Any procedure that needed an outside dental lab for design and manufacturing required an impression. Impressions were made by taking a plastic or metal mouth-shaped tray, filling the tray with a pasty, rubbery material, placing it over the teeth and gums, and waiting several minutes for the impression to set. For many of our patients, this was uncomfortable and led to drooling and gagging, and we haven’t even talked about the artificial taste of the material!

But now there is good news! We have taken a big step into the digital world with the addition of the 3Shape TRIOS.  The TRIOS is an intraoral digital scanner that works by taking a series of photographs of the teeth and oral tissues, which are used to create a digital model instead of a stone model that would be created in a lab.  The digital scan can be sent directly to the lab in an instant, and they can use CAD/CAM technology to make the crown, night guard, Invisalign aligner, or other appliance even faster than they could before. If there is a defect or imperfection, digital scans can be edited and added to instead of starting over from the beginning, which was necessary with the impressions.

What does this mean for you?

• Less time waiting for crowns and other appliances to come back from the lab.
• Less time spent in the chair having multiple impressions taken.
• Better accuracy of the scan means better quality of the appliance.
• No more gagging or drooling!