At Sunshine Smiles of Orange County, we try to provide our patients with the highest quality in dental care. As part of that effort, we stay up to date with the latest in dental technology. High-tech dentistry usually means less invasive procedures—and less time that our patients spend in the dental chair. Our goal is to make your visit with us as comfortable and efficient as possible.
Here are some of the ways we use technology in our office to provide you with a better patient experience.
Digital radiography is an essential technology that provides your dentist with precise images that go far beyond what the naked eye can see. Some of the things your dentist might be looking for with a digital x-ray include decay between teeth and problems below the gum line. Issues can be detected while they are still small and easy to treat.
There are a number of advantages to digital x-rays. They are quicker than traditional x-rays—and more comfortable for the patient. Digital images can also be easily enhanced and viewed chairside so you can see exactly what your dentist is seeing.
If you are wondering about the radiation exposure with x-rays, you can rest assured that this type of imaging emits very little radiation. In fact, digital x-rays emit substantially less radiation than traditional x-rays (up to 90 percent). You are likely to get more radiation exposure just walking out into the sunshine! The risk of missing dental problems by skipping x-rays is far more dangerous than any potential exposure.
Digital images have another advantage: They are easily emailed to insurance providers, which means fewer delays when you need treatment.
The mere term “root canal” is enough to send fear into the strongest of hearts. But with modern dental technology, they are getting a bad rap.
Most patients who have had a root canal tell us the experience was similar to getting a cavity filled. The procedure itself is painless because the area is numbed; the pain that brings you in for the root canal is likely far worse!
Now your dentist can use rotary instruments to make it even easier to remove the infected pulp from your tooth root. The electronic tips of the instrument also make recurrence of infection less likely. There is no reason to fear a root canal with these modern dentistry tools.
As valuable as digital x-rays are, they cannot see every nook and cranny of your mouth. This is where state-of-the-art intraoral cameras come into play. They allow us to see issues affecting the surfaces of your teeth and the gum tissue up close and personal.
These cameras, which are about the size of a pen, provide clear and precise images from the tiniest crevices of your mouth. Because the images are displayed on a monitor, you can see exactly what your dentist is seeing, enabling you to better understand recommended treatment.
Soft tissue laser therapy provides a cleaner, less invasive method of treating minor gum disease. Because a laser is used to remove the diseased and infected tissue from the gums rather than a scalpel, treatment is noninvasive. Healing time is also shorter.