Advanced Dental Technology

Spectra® Caries Detection

Regardless of how much you brush and floss, you may still develop cavities. The good news is that finding cavities at an early stage helps us to conserve as much of your healthy tooth as possible and reduces the need for more extensive restorative procedures.

We’re proud to offer our patients the Spectra Caries Detection system, a state-of-the-art digital imaging tool that uses light-induced fluorescence to identify caries bacteria in fissures and smooth surfaces that may go unnoticed in X-ray images. It can even detect decay hidden in crevices between composite and amalgam fillings.

Spectra uses a small, pen-like tool that projects a specific wavelength of light onto your teeth. The information received by the device is sent to our computer, where an image of your teeth will appear on screen. The computer displays active caries in red and healthy tooth enamel in green.

Spectra is painless and allows us to perform minimally invasive dentistry whenever possible. For you, this means a more comfortable dental experience, less time spent in our office, and a healthier, longer-lasting smile.

Digital X-rays

Using the most advanced dental technology is just as important as staying up to date on the latest treatment techniques. Because our practice is dedicated to providing you with the safest and most convenient treatment options available, we utilize advanced digital X-ray technology in our office.

Digital X-rays provide several advanced imaging options designed to save time, provide clearer dental photos, and expose patients to less radiation than traditional X-ray technology.

Our practice is focused on making your dental experience as comfortable as possible. At your next appointment, we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have about our digital X-ray technology.

Carestream Intraoral Scanner

Our practice has just added a new intraoral scanner that will revolutionize the process of creating a dental impression. Gone are the trays of silicone putty or “goop” that patients found so unpleasant. Instead, you can experience a much more comfortable, digital impression process, as well as faster appointments.

The Carestream intraoral scanner is a small, handheld device that is very easy to maneuver in your mouth, which makes even hard-to-reach areas very accessible. What’s produced are high-definition, 2D and 3D images — and within seconds of completing the scanning process — an HD 3D digital impression. This 3D model will make it easy for you to understand the direction and goals of your treatment plan.

Learn more about the Carestream 3600 intraoral scanner on the company’s website, or experience it yourself during your next visit to our office!

VELScope® Oral Cancer Screening

More than 480,000 new cases of oral and throat cancers are diagnosed each year, and about 35,000 of those cases are right here in the United States. Oral cancer kills one person every hour in the U.S., and without proper detection methods, a person may have oral cancer and not even know it.

In almost all cases of oral cancer, early detection plays a major role in a patient’s chances of survival. If diagnosed and treated early, a patient’s five-year survival rate is 80-90% greater.

The VELscope screening system consists of a specialized white-light source and viewing scope that make it easier for us to look closely at the tissues inside your mouth. Normal tissues will almost glow a bright green color. Abnormal tissue shows up much darker under the special light.

An abnormal screening does not always mean you have cancer. If an abnormal screening occurs, we may schedule a second scan later to see if the dark spots disappear, or discuss referral for biopsy.

Digital Impressions

No more goop, gagging, or discomfort. Using the latest in digital technology, we can take a highly accurate digital impression of your teeth. The new technology ensures a more accurate impression from the start, resulting in improved treatment and a more comfortable patient experience.

Digital impressions give you the ability to see your teeth instantly in 3D, improving communication during the consultation and treatment process.

Our digital impression scanner captures the structure of the teeth and gums using the latest optical technology. The scanner is a compact, hand-held wand. Once we begin the scanning process, it can be stopped and started as many times as necessary.

Your mouth is scanned with a radiation-free laser, and in as little as two to three minutes, renders a digitally perfect, 3D impression of your teeth and soft tissue structures. Through digital software, you’ll be able to follow the progress of the scans including a three-dimensional model of your teeth on our computer screen.

Digital impressions can be used for any restorative treatment, including crowns, veneers, inlays/onlays, bridges, and implants.

CAD/CAM

Dentists can create customized fittings of crowns, bridges, inlays, onlays, and other dental restorations using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM). Through the CAD/CAM technology, we can provide you with the most precise restorations possible.

By using CAD/CAM, we are able to create durable, well-fitting, individual or multiple-tooth restorations. CAD/CAM technology also delivers advantages when it comes to office visits. Traditional tooth restorations may take several days and multiple office visits, but with CAD/CAM technology, we are able to perform single-visit tooth restorations! In just one visit, you can have a beautiful, healthy smile.