Healthy Smiles Dental Care

One of the most important things we do for our patients is to identify cavities and restore teeth. Since any spot of decay can threaten the integrity of an entire tooth, removing tooth decay early is key to preventing a host of future dental problems. Since finding tooth decay is so important, in the past this meant that you had to sit through lengthy poking and prodding sessions as part of your dental exams. But even those uncomfortable sessions are only 50% to 75% effective as cavities can hide along fissure lines or inside biting or occlusal surfaces. Furthermore, the cavity had to be at least as large as the probe head for the dentist to find it.

Consider these methods history! We’d like to introduce you to DIAGNOdent©: a revolutionary, thorough means of detecting cavities.

Further, mechanical exploratory methods are limited to finding only those cavities that are equal to or larger than the probe head. Enter DIAGNOdent©: a revolutionary, thorough means of detecting cavities.

Laser Reflection Spots Imperfection

DIAGNOdent technology uses a laser diode to inspect your teeth, comparing reflection wavelength against a healthy baseline wavelength to uncover tooth decay. First, we take a benchmark reading by aiming the laser onto one of your healthy enamel tooth surfaces, then we shine the laser into all suspect areas. As it pulses into grooves, fissures and cracks, the laser reflects fluorescent light of a specific wavelength which is measured by receptors, converted to an acoustic signal, evaluated electronically to reveal a value between one and 100, and then displayed on a screen. Any variation from the healthy baseline value stimulates emission of a different wavelength and alerts us to a weakened area of dental decay. Not surprisingly, this technology quickly and precisely identifies even the tiniest bit of tooth decay. This means shallower, simpler fillings, preserving more tooth structure, and providing a specific mean of monitoring suspicious areas without repeated x-rays. Now your cavities aren’t just found early, they are found in a quick, comfortable, and thorough way. To see it in action click to Watch this Video.