Laser Dentistry - The Latest Innovation in Soft Tissue
Surgery
Air Abrasion - Drilless Dentistry
DIAGNOdent - Early Decay Detection
Cosmetic Imaging - A Mouth of Possibilities
The Cerec - Milled Ceramic Restorations
Please browse through the following articles to read all about the modern
innovations that you will find in our dental office.
The Wand - Computer Controlled Dental Anesthesia
Here are some featured articles from the past few years which are still quite
"read-worthy".
Intraoral Camera - A Virtual Tour of Your Mouth
Digital Radiography - Patient Friendly Diagnosis
For more information on some of the latest in dental technology please visit
our Modern Innovations page.
Laser technology is everywhere nowadays and your dental office is no exception.
30 years ago most people only thought of lasers as some sort of futuristic
weapon but the technology is now found in everything from our home entertainment
system to high tech medical treatment centres. Lasers are used in a number
of different areas pertaining to dentistry and there is, in fact, more than
one in our office. The soft tissue laser is used to treat problems related
to your gums and surrounding tissue. We are able to help manage gum disease,
perform minor dental surgery (recontouring gumlines, removing unhealthy tissue,
exposing areas under the gum), help control bleeding during dental procedures,
aid in the healing of extraction sites and even help to eliminate cold sores!!!
Most of the time that we use the laser it is replacing a procedure that we
did in more conventional methods in the past. However the treatment of mouth
ulcers and cold sores is something new that we are able to offer to our patients.
Often when we have treated a recurrent cold sore it never reappears in the
same area again. Now that's progress! Beam my cold sore Scotty!!!
Did you ever imagine that a day would arrive that you didn't have to fear the dentist's drill? Well the day has come. If we are able to detect decay at an early stage then we have a chance to treat it with out the use of that pesky drill. For a few years now we have been able to blast away the decay with a "mini-sandblaster" for your teeth. The machine sprays an Alpha Alumina powder in a very fast and concentrated stream that will cut through your tooth's enamel. This procedure usually means that less healthy tooth structure needs to be removed while removing the decay. A lot of the time this type of filling can be placed without any freezing!!!
This unit is also equipped with a light that will cure light curable filling materials four times faster than with conventional lights. This means a reduction of the overall length of the procedure! This means less time at the dentist!!!
We are excited to introduce the latest in natural tooth conservation. With this tool for early decay diagnosis we are able to provide treatment before the tooth needs a major restoration. The laser technology incorporated in this equipment directs light at the tooth surface in order to measure the density of the tooth structure. An area of different density will alert the dentist to weak areas that might not otherwise have been diagnosed. The tools that dentists have had so far to detect decay have not been 100% accurate. Therefore some types of decay could evade early detection and cause needless loss of otherwise healthy tooth structure to decay. Now we have changed all of that by offering a system that is 90% accurate in detecting decay in areas that are seemingly healthy using other methods of diagnosis.
The dentist will use the DIAGNOdent after a cleaning visit to ensure the highest level of accuracy on teeth free from tartar and plaque. The unit will give readings in numerical form that the dentist can then use to determine whether the tooth will need observation, preventative measures, or restoration. At the same time as the dentist is receiving his numerical readings the machine is also relaying an audible signal so that the patient and dentist are acutely aware of problem areas.
This is a very exciting advance in the field of dentistry and another way that we are meeting our objectives in the conservation of your natural dentition.
Happy smiling!
This is the original smile before any manipulation with the computer has
been done.
After making a few changes on the computer you can see your proposed new smile.
Have you ever wanted a chance to see what you might look like with a new
smile? Now we can show you with our new cosmetic imaging computer software.
If you are considering teeth whitening, anterior fillings or veneers we can
take a picture of your existing smile and then make the changes on our computer
so that you will know what your teeth will look like when we have finished
the proposed treatment.
Dr. VandenBrink includes cosmetic dentistry as a particular area of interest
and is very pleased to be able to aid the patient in their decisions about
treatment. This will not only allow the patient to visualize what their teeth
will look like after treatment but it will also allow them to contribute in
the design of their new smile. If there is something that you would like to
change about your smile we can do it on the computer so that you can decide
whether or not you would like to make that change to your teeth.
If you have been thinking about improving your smile then be sure to ask about our cosmetic imaging program. We offer this service to our patients at no extra charge and will give you a copy of the results to take home with you.
Dr. VandenBrink now does most of his cosmetic dentistry with the Cerec 3 restoration system which even makes that part of the change in your smile a lot easier. You can learn more about the Cerec 3 here.
Even if all you want is whiter teeth we would be happy to show you what you can achieve with a simple home bleaching procedure.
Happy smiling!
Image courtesy of Milestone Scientific
In the spring of 1998 dentistry at Glenora Dental took a major upward turn with the introduction of the Cerec II computer restoration system. Dr. VandenBrink is now able to provide his patients with a long lasting, healthy and cosmetic alternative to the conventional methods of tooth restoration.
The Cerec is a computer aided design and milling machine for porcelain prosthetics. The advantages are clear and abundant. First of all we are able to provide a crown, onlay, inlay or veneer without taking away any more than the damaged tooth structure, leaving all of the healthy tooth to bond your new porcelain prosthetic to. Then we take an optical impression of the tooth that has been prepared for restoration. No longer do you have to suffer through long, bad tasting and uncomfortable traditional tray impressions. Now we are able to design, with the assistance of the computer, a piece of porcelain to fit the prepared area. The computer then mills your new tooth out of a compressed block of porcelain that has 95% of the same properties as your own enamel. It usually takes the computer between 7 and 20 minutes to produce the final product ready to meet your mouth. The porcelain is bonded to your tooth and polished to be a smooth as the rest of the teeth in your mouth. All of this procedure takes about an hour and a half and is completed in one visit. This procedure eliminates the need for impressions and a return visit to have a laboratory crown cemented.
The Cerec porcelain restorations provide you with a natural looking and long lasting alternative to traditional procedures and helps us to meet one of our main directives - the conservation of your teeth.
UPDATE - In May 2001 we upgraded to the Cerec 3. We are now able to complete porcelain restorations in less time which means a shorter dental visit!!
No, we aren't performing Magic, but it will feel like it. The Wand is a method of delivering dental anesthesia almost painlessly. We know that some patients get more nervous than others at the sight of a syringe. That's why we have chosen to deliver all of our local dental anesthesia with The Wand. No more fear, no more anxiety and no more pain.
The Wand is a computer controlled deliver system that bears little similarity to a traditional dental syringe. There's a microprocessor in The Wand that automatically compensates for different tissue density in order to deliver the anesthetic at a constant flow rate, making injections barely perceptible. The computer pumps a flow of anaesthetic directly ahead of the needle. This numbs the sight of insertion and develops a pathway of anesthesia so you hardly feel the needle at all.
The source of discomfort for most injection however, isn't the needle. It is the flow of the anesthetic into your gums. The Wand delivers the anesthetic at an optimal flow rate for a comfortable, virtually pain-free injection every time.
Whether injections make you nervous or not The Wand helps us to provide more effective anesthetic delivery. You are more comfortable throughout the procedure and we may be able to use techniques so that you won't experience lingering numbness of your tongue, lips and face.
People that experience irritation from or have allergies to latex will also be pleased to know that the delivery tubing and handpieces meet all medical standards for a completely latex-free product. The Wand is just one more way of making your dental visits more pleasant and positive.
We are now able to see inside your mouth like never before! The first intraoral cameras were designed with a simple spy surveillance camera as the capturing device. It has come along way since its initial conception and now provides dentists with a diagnostic tool that is hard to match.
The small camera and illumination system is the size of a large felt marker and shows a virtual tour of your mouth with a live feed to a television screen. The dentist is now able to see your teeth at approximately 100,000 times bigger than real life. We are also able to freeze the image and make a hard copy of it for our records or to send to specialists or insurance companies. We can even print a copy for you!
At Glenora Dental we strive to reduce health risks to our patients where ever possible. This is why we have incorporated the use of digital x-ray in our dental office. Digital x-ray can reduce the radiation to our patients by up to 90%! It also gives us this important diagnostic tool almost immediately on our computer monitor at a much greater size than a conventional x-ray to allow a much greater chance of catching small areas of concern in a timely fashion. The ability to put these images on computer allows us to electronically send your x-rays to some insurance companies and specialists for more prompt review and response.
We are also able to reduce waste with the elimination of the conventional x-ray process. No more processor!! The film processor involved in the development of regular x-ray films is similar to the processor at a photo lab. All of these harmful chemicals are no longer needed with the digital x-ray. Also conventional x-rays come wrapped in paper and plastic and are lined with a sheet of lead. With the elimination of this waste we are able to lower our impact on the environment.
We are very excited about the introduction of this revolutionary technology
and what it will mean to our patients' health.
Updated: 10/18/2007