Tooth
decay can be extremely painful and puts the teeth at risk. Many
extractions and restorative treatments are performed every single day
because tooth decay has become too severe for the tooth to be saved. Diagnodent® is a safe fluorescent laser that detects hidden tooth decay accurately, quickly, and in its earliest stages.
All dentists are advocates for healthy, natural teeth. Restoration devices like crowns
and bridges are popular because they allow the natural tooth to remain
in the mouth. Diagnodent® accurately exposes areas of tooth decay
without scratching, probing, or “opening up the tooth.” This provides a
greater chance of identifying, treating, and retaining a natural tooth
without the need for expensive and time-consuming restorations.
How can Diagnodent® help me?
Diagnodent®
accurately exposes more caries than X-rays and examinations. In fact,
this revolutionary diagnostic tool is over 90% accurate. Sometimes,
caries “go underground” due to fluoridation. This essentially means
that lesions that once lay on the surface of the tooth bed down, and
remain invisible to the naked eye. Because Diagnodent® exposes caries
earlier, more treatment options are possible.
Here are some of the other benefits associated with Diagnodent®:
- Allows dentists to perform treatment with greater confidence.
- Allows for the investigation of suspicious areas.
- Completely safe.
- Cost effective.
- Empirically measurable results.
- Helps reduce future dental procedures.
- More accurate than any other diagnostic tool.
- No exposure to X-rays.
- No need for invasive investigations.
- No pain or scratching.
What does the Diagnodent® process involve?
The
Diagnodent® process is performed within the scope of a regular dental
checkup. It is strikingly similar to having a laser pointer aimed at
the teeth. Diagnodent® is a hi-tech tool, which first scans a clean
tooth surface with a laser beam. This scanning procedure serves to
calibrate the instrument by providing information about the tooth
structure.
The
Diagnodent® System is actually measuring the amount of laser
fluorescence within the tooth. As each tooth is scanned, the amount of
reflected laser light is recorded to produce a digital readout. If the
tooth contains little or no decay, little or no laser light will be
reflected back to the instrument. However, if a tooth contains caries
of any significance, more laser light is reflected back. High readings
(compared to the tooth originally scanned) indicate that caries are
present within the structure of a particular tooth. The amount of laser
light reflected back correlates with the amount of decay within the
tooth.
Once
we determine which teeth are suffering from decay, a plan can be
formulated and treatment options can be discussed. In most cases, the
early detection of caries means more treatment options and a greater
chance of saving the affected tooth.
If you have any questions about Diagnodent®, please contact our office.
