Like many other professional fields, medical treatment, especially dentistry, has seen significant benefits from the improvements to and inclusion of technology into the workplace. More and more, patients receiving dental treatments leave the office slightly amazed by just how effortless, painless and fast the procedures are, due to advanced technology in the field.
Many patients used to experience a severe degree of stress and anxiety, due in part to the sound and feeling of the dental drill, which is quickly being replaced. No-drill dentistry uses forced air and a tiny abrasive to remove dental decay quickly, all without the use of the annoying and often painful dental drill. The new method is faster, and more effective in removing decay, and often requires no anesthesia at all.
Lasers have been used by dentists for some time, but play a greater role in many procedures now than ever before. Gum disease, tooth decay, bone disease in the mouth area can all be treated using a dental laser, which many times alleviates the problem gently and without pain. Dental lasers can be especially useful in recontouring procedures involving the gum tissue, and can provide an improved look to one’s smile in a relatively short amount of time.
Sedation dentistry includes things such as anesthesia that is controlled electronically, so that only the exact amount required is administered to a patient undergoing treatment. Local anesthesia can be used in specific areas of the mouth such as the gum tissue surrounding the tooth that is receiving a new veneer, or tooth colored filling, and make for a painless dental treatment session. Computers now control much of the dental technology, making procedures like root canals effortless and nearly painless. What used to take multiple visits and involve pain and discomfort now can be completed in only one visit, and with precision and control.
The inclusion of the traditional X-ray machine and the PerioScope into the diagnostic portion of dentistry has allowed dentists to see beyond the obvious potentially problematic areas of the mouth, into the insides of the teeth and beneath the gum line where decay may be hiding in the root of the tooth or in the bone. This method can be used to detect gum disease and to diagnose problems with the tooth’s root, with a great deal of precision, often finding problems well in advance of older techniques.
