|
Quick
Pointers on Dental Technology
|
| Information-Based
Dental Technology Systems |
| |
 |
Practice management
software |
|
Patient education |
| |
|
Clinical charting
software |
|
Diagnostic tools
|
| |
|
Image management
software |
|
Magnification |
|
| |
|
Digital radiography |
|
Internet |
|
| |
|
Intraoral/extra-oral
cameras |
| |
|
Entertainment
programming
CATV, DVD, DSS, digital audio |
|
|
|
|
|
| High
tech cutting instruments |
| |
|
Air abrasion |
|
|
| |
|
Lasers - cutting
and curing |
|
|
| |
|
Cerec |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| High
tech cleaning methods, instruments, and patient chair |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Articles
Available in PDF format
|
 Free |
| Designing
a High Tech Dental Office Layout |
| Managing
Patient Flow in a High Tech Dental Office |
| Digital
Radiography |
|
|
|
There
has never been a more exciting time for advances in
dental technology!
|
  |
  |
|
| Digital
Dental Radiography. This
technology has dramatically boosted our ability to make
and view accurate x-ray images of your teeth. Before
this invention, we placed each film in your mouth,one
by one, exposed the film with the X-ray tube for about
1/3 second, removed it, then photochemically developed
the film, waiting at least several minutes to view a
roughly 1" square image on a light box. Magnification
and viewing films was not easy, and duplication required
exposing more film and yielded poor results. Films occasionally
got lost or misfiled. The developing chemicals
were an environmental disposal problem. |
|
Today
digital sensors are similiar to the CCD element of
a camcorder and wired to a PC with special software
is placed in the mouth, exposed for 1/15 th of a second
(that's right, 80 % to 90% radiation reduction
to the patient) and the image appears in about a second
on a computer monitor. Instant viewing, magnification,
and unlimited duplication are possible and contrast
and brightness can be adjusted after the picture is
made.(with film an unreadable exposure had to be reshot).
With digital, both the doctor and patient can clearly
see the pictures which provides for better diagnosis
and understanding. The system's database is integrated
into the computerized patient record so any staff
person has instant access to every patient's x-rays
from any workstation in the office. Duplicates for
insurance claims and conference with specialists can
be printed, faxed or e-mailed. A triple redundant
backup system means the records are safer from loss
than film based systems as well. This is dream
come true for a dentist.
Digital
technology, cameras, and advances in software technology
has boosted access speed and accuracy of chart materials
and interactions with the business staff. No more misfiled
charts, lost insurance claims, or forgotten correspondence.
Many dentist today operate without paper charts. A
triple redundant backup system means we can now take
every chart of every patient off-site for safe storage
on a single tape or removable hard drive the size
of a music cassette
|
|
|
| Single Appointment
Root Canal Therapy.
New advances in instruments and advanced clinical training
have made high quality, comfortable, and predictably
successful root canals easier and faster for both doctor
and patient. Total anesthesia, computerized x-rays,
automated shaping and filling concepts and other advances
have made it possible to complete most root canals in
a single visit of one to two hours or less. ( once diagnosed
need for this service has
been made) The
patients love the single visit approach and report these
pain relieving procedures to be no more trouble than
most other kinds of dental treatment. Getting bored
during the procedure is the most common description,
and we take that as quite a compliment. Nobody really
wants an "exciting" root canal appointment. TVs on the
ceiling or mounted computer flat panel displays and
headphones take some of the boredom away. The CDR X-ray
on the left shows a tooth treated(right) and one that
didn't(left and wrong). The image on the right is typical
upper molar result. |
|
|
| Dental
Implants.
Using osseointegrated dental implants (artificial titanium
roots, biologically imbedded into jawbone) to restore
selected patients have been a great success. This Technology
Update focuses on the ITI Implant System from the Swiss
manufacturer Straumann. This system (in use for over
5 years) has allowed the restoration of more teeth for
more patients. It's ease of use for both the surgeon
(they place the artificial root in the jawbone with
our prescription) and restorative team (dentist and
laboratory technician who make the tooth or teeth to
attach to the artificial root) has made it a cost effective
and truly desireable alternative to fixed bridges (which
require the alteration of adjacent teeth), removeable
partial dentures and removeable complete dentures.(false
teeth). Unlike most systems, the ITI system does not
require two surgeries, and restoration is more like
getting a natural tooth "capped". |
|
|
|
Stabident
anesthesia.
This is a heaven send for dentists and patients alike.
We love for our patients to get their dentistry in
a low stress, pain free appointment. Its better for
everybody. This new system allows for very profound
and site speciffic anesthesia on just the teeth to
be treated. If you are one of those many patients
who is resistant to numbing by traditional "novocain"
injections, Stabident is probably the answer.
|
 |
 |
|
| Intraoral
Video Camera.
This technology puts a tiny TV camera into a wand the
size of a dental tool. Brilliant, accurate, color close-ups
of problems with your teeth can be made and recorded
for diagnosis, discussion and record keeping. Patients
can now see what we see. Before and after pictures of
"smile makeovers" are wonderful progress notes. Insurance
claims can be documented to reduce "denial". A networked
computer system keeps these pictures easy to access
and review in an electronic chart, and prints can be
made quickly. Prints for getting hard to match tooth
shades can be communicated with our lab techs accurately
for a perfect match the first time. |
|
|
| Air abrasion
technology.
For over twenty years, dental sealants have been used
to reduce or prevent cavities in the grooved surfaces
of back teeth, however, one thing has become quite apparent
over that time. Inadequately diagnosed cavities and
organic debris in those grooves prevented sealants from
preventing or stopping the progress of decay in many
cases. A new pencil sized microfine "sandblaster" spraying
a stream of 25 micron aluminum oxide "dust" can rid
the grooves of the organic debris and open them just
enough to be certain a cavity doesn't already exist.
These "super sealants" can usually be done without any
"novocain shots" and even small existing cavities can
be cleaned out and restored with no drilling. The restorations
can be smaller than those made with a conventional "drill"
and are restored with tooth colored composite resin
for a natural "never been filled" appearance. |
|
|
| Patient
Views. Ever
since dentists began treating reclined patients, they
have tried to make the ceiling a more interesting thing
to look at for the obligated patients. Pictures got
tacked up and helped, but then the industry came up
with these nifty TV mounts, and they have been a big
hit with patients. Today with the inventions of flat
displays, the TV's and computers screens can be mounted
just about in any location. As well as being able to
get dental educational topics, patients have headphones,
DVD movies, and remotes to select from a full cable
line-up. The "in-flight viewscreen" really helps make
the time pass quicker. |
|
|
| |
