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Category:
Published: July 2007
Dr. Lewis Morrison shares some of the cutting-edge techniques available to help keep your smile healthy and bright.
The future of dentistry is now. I have been practicing dentistry for over thirty years, and when people ask if I think about slowing down, the answer is always NO. Today is the most exciting time there has ever been in dentistry. We can do procedures that we never dreamed of before, and do them painlessly, quickly, and with long term results. We can do this for a population that is coming to realize the value of a healthy, strong set of teeth, along with a beautiful and youthful smile.
Here are some of today's advances:
Lasers are being used in dentistry to prepare teeth for fillings and to improve the health of gum tissue. The advantages are many: it often eliminates the need for the shot and the drill in small fillings. There is no more buzzing sound, just a click, click, click. The patients do not walk out with numb lips. The laser can sterilize gum infections and produce healthier mouths. Any "disadvantage" is really only for the dentist, as the cost ranges from $60,000 to $90,000 for a laser that can cut teeth with out burning them.
Digital X-rays are another advance. They show on the screen instantly and there is less radiation for the patient. No harmful chemicals are released in the environment. The x-rays can be enlarged and enhanced, and the storage and recovery is fast and easy.
There are also all-porcelain veneer Lumineers, for instant long-term smile makeovers, and instant orthodontics. We have CAD/CAM (CEREC) crown design and milling equipment, which enables our patients to have porcelain crowns and onlays done in a single day. We also have Diagnodent cavity detection laser equipment which is used to detect the amount of decay on the biting surfaces where x-rays cannot see well, and which is much more accurate than the "stick" of a dental instrument.
Intraoral cameras are one of my personal favorite advances in dentistry. The camera allows the patients to see their dental condition, and not just hear about it. It is important for our patients to trust us, but that trust is increased when they can see and understand their condition.
We also have interactive, computerized patient education. This "Casey" computerized dental education system has thousands of photos, and plays short, understandable DVD presentations on hundreds of dental problems. We have computerized appointment reminders, an interactive office web site, and in office WI-FI so that patients can use their computers in the office.
In addition, we have portable at-home muscle clenching eletromagnetic detection devices. Are you clenching at night? We can now attach this thin, 3" device to your cheek, which will monitor jaw clenching and grinding (bruxism), enabling us to see exactly what is happening to your teeth and muscles during the night. We have Snap on Smiles, where we can try your future smile on over your existing teeth BEFORE we touch your natural teeth. We can give you a new tooth in one day with mini dental implants, which can also provide the life changing stabilization of dentures in one day, and at a fraction of the cost of a traditional implant. Throw away your denture adhesive! You can also have a Hugger Bridge for the replacement of a missing tooth without drilling.
Dentistry in the new millennium gives us so many options to help people achieve the results they want. Who know what more exciting advances are in store for the future?!
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