You may dread going to the dentist because you think of people putting the traditional dental drill or painful plastic apparatuses in your mouth. However, you might not realise that technology has now become a huge part of modern dentistry.
Technology in dentistry no longer just includes things like dental drills, water picks, and suction devices. Instead, leading-edge dental treatment incorporates a slew of high-tech gadgets and digital programs that make dentistry more accurate, efficient, and pain-free.
If you have not visited the dentist in a while, you might not realise that dental practices now rely heavily on digital tools like 3D printers, computer software, lasers and more to replace missing teeth, detect cavities, build stunning smiles, and many, many more things that benefit patients’ oral (and overall) health.
What is technology in dentistry?
Technology in dentistry is a broad term that refers to the many technology-based tools that now help dental practices provide better services to their patients. By taking advantage of technological advancements, a dental practice can provide more accurate and less painful treatments to the people who come to them for care.
Dental technology can refer to tangible devices or computer software programs that help dental professionals diagnose and treat problems quicker and more efficiently. Dental schools now teach this kind of technology to their students. Digital dental tools can do many things, but some of the most exciting and important include:
- Pointing out tooth decay
- Helping dentists catch potentially serious oral health problems (like oral cancer or periodontal disease) faster and with greater consistency.
- Capturing images and angles of the inside of your mouth that dentists have never been able to view easily before
- Providing faster and less painful alternatives to traditional methods of dental care
How does technology in dentistry work?
Technology in dentistry focuses on continuously improving dental tools—both for dentists in offices and clinicians in the dental laboratory—so that dental clinics like Great Alpine Dental can provide the best care possible for patients at all times. Technology in dentistry takes the latest discoveries and developments in science and gives them practical applications for managing oral health.
Dental schools today teach their students about dental technology. Thanks to contemporary dental education, dentists now enter the field with an understanding of how to use the most updated technology for the best treatment.
Benefits of technology in dentistry
Technology in dentistry doesn’t just make appointments quieter and less traumatising. Dental technology has many significant benefits.
New technologies that better detect and treat cavities
New dental technology helps dentists detect problems in the mouth earlier. By discovering and treating cavities early, dentists help patients by preserving healthy tooth structures, allowing them to avoid more serious and expensive dental care.
Dental implants technologies
New dental implant technology continues to improve the implant process. With the combined use of CT and dental scans, a virtual dental surgery can be performed on the computer to help avoid important nerves and other teeth structures. This makes the surgery quicker and less traumatic for patients. This in turn reduces post operative pain with modern dental anaesthesia making the procedure pain-free.
Computer software can also help with dental implants in terms of their placement, and it can assist with designing a new smile for a patient—whether that process is medically necessary or a cosmetic decision.
Digital X-Rays
Digital X-rays, like the kind we use at Great Alpine Dental, show images on a computer screen. They are more comfortable than a traditional dental x-ray and expose patients to far less radiation.
Dentistry’s cutting-edge technologies
Obviously, advanced tech tools benefit dental practice teams and their patients significantly. Here are some of the specific technologies that have revolutionised dental care.
Intraoral Scanner
An intraoral scanner is a 3D scanner used in dentistry to make accurate and precise digital impressions of the teeth and oral structures. The intraoral scanner captures data that can be used to create digital models to help dentists to diagnose oral diseases and provide treatments more accurately.
Intra oral scanners use advanced imaging technology to capture in 3D images of your teeth like a 3D camera instead of bulky impressions done in the past. The 3D scan file can then be used to 3d Print dentures, bridges, bite splints, etc. At Great Alpine Dental we use this technology to make ceramic crowns on the same day for weak teeth to strengthen them and increase their life.
Dental Lasers
Lasers can have a wide range of applications in dentistry. From removing tumours to treating cold sores to regenerating damaged nerves, lasers are a handy tool for dentists, making previously unhelpable conditions treatable.
The Modern Dentist
Technology in dentistry is not only exciting because it is developing so fast but also because it allows dentists to offer their patients even more exact, effective, and pain-free treatment. As technology continues to develop, dentists will have the opportunity to use newly honed tools to improve their ability to diagnose dental issues, offer more aesthetically appealing cosmetic dentistry results, and provide dental procedures that are less painful for patients.
Do you want to go to a dental practice where dentists provide services using the latest technology in dentistry available? Then you want to go to Great Alpine Dental Aesthetics & Implants. We combine modern and traditional dentistry, using various techniques to give you results tailor to your dental needs.
Our dentists perform all examinations and treatments under microscope which allows us to detect and diagnose problems at an early stage and perform procedures to a pinpoint accuracy.
To learn more about how we can help you with general and complex dental problems, aesthetic restorations, or any oral surgery you need, reach out to us today. Our tech-savvy team of dentists at Great Alpine Dental promises to use cutting-edge technologies to provide the best dental treatment possible.
