Digital dentistry is in the process of transforming pretty much every aspect of oral care, from the moment you enter your dentist’s office, to how he diagnoses your disease or condition, to how he follows up your treatment. Digital dentistry has made the process much faster and more streamlined.
Some Digital Dentistry Tools
Here are some modern tools that you may encounter when visiting a dentist:
Intraoral cameras
These are small cameras that are used to photograph the insides of your mouth in real-time, making them very beneficial to dental professionals, as they can immediately identify issues that might need to be addressed. An added benefit is that they can share with you what they see, enabling you to take better care of your oral hygiene in the future.
Digital radiography
While x-rays have been in use at dentists’ offices for a long time, the traditional method using film was a long and expensive procedure, following which the prints themselves took up physical space and had to be kept safe. Digital radiography is a much faster alternative, wherein the scans can immediately be seen on a computer screen, and then can be stored for later use in the computer itself or on the cloud. Images can be shared with specialists easily, and the whole process becomes much faster. ALso, according to the American Dental Association, the risk of radiation exposure is much less in digital radiography as compared to traditional x-rays.
Intraoral scanning & CAD (Computer-aided design)/CAM (Computer-aided manufacturing)
Intraoral scans, or computer-generated mouth-tissue replicas created using lasers or other optical scanning devices, are becoming increasingly commonplace, with dentists using them to accurately capture impression data much more quickly than they would by conventional methods. CAD/CAM technology, such as the China Intraoral Scanner made by Pingtum, removes any need for messy impression materials like conventional plaster models, and essentially makes for a much more comfortable patient experience.
Cancer Screening Tools
Dental professionals are able to use fluorescence imaging to identify signs of cancer and other abnormalities that might not immediately be visible. When such diseases are spotted early with the help of modern technology, the treatment can be meted out sooner, at a much faster and more affordable rate, also providing the patient with a better prognosis and a much shorter recovery time. The journal Oral Diseases has published a review that confirms that this technology is able to detect lesions and other potentially dangerous abnormalities.
Digitally guided implant surgery
This tool is relatively new and hence not widely popular yet. Still, it helps dentists and dental surgeons to find the most precise and effective manner to place implants in the specific jawbone structures presented by individual patients, through the use of intraoral scanning.
Final thoughts
Thanks to the advancements in the field of digital dentistry, visits to the dentist’s clinic have become much faster, safer, and more reliable. Dental professionals who make use of the potential offered by scientifically proven, tried and tested digital dental advancements are able to provide the best dental care with the maximum degree of comfort possible.
