Technology’s Role in Modern Dentistry

Advances in dental technology have made treatments quicker, more comfortable, safer, and more effective for patients. At Tory Hill Dental, our team continually employs the latest technology, so our patients receive the best oral care along with a pleasant experience. Here are the details on our high-tech modern dentistry features, as well as specifics on how our technology benefits you and your family.

Lasers

While our lasers won’t defend the planet from space invaders, we do use lasers to protect your teeth and gums from decay and disease. For instance, our Biolase water laser gently destroys decay to prepare your tooth for a filling. This water laser provides many advantages over traditional dental drills.

First, unlike a dental drill, the instrument never actually touches your tooth. This fact means that vibrations are greatly reduced for a more comfortable experience. Additionally, our team can precisely control the water laser to remove very little tooth tissue. If you have multiple cavities, this accuracy allows us to provide more treatments in a single session, preventing the need for return visits.

Furthermore, our water laser is much cooler and quieter than a dental drill, so you won’t have to endure unpleasant heat and screeching during your treatment. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the water laser is exceptionally comfortable for our patients. This benefit means we do not need to use as much anesthetic as we would with conventional drilling. In other words, you likely won’t suffer from a numb mouth for hours after your treatment. With outstanding comfort, precision, and quiet operation, our water laser is great for each of our patients, especially if you typically experience dental anxiety.

We also use a Biolase gum laser — definitely a tool of modern dentistry. Gum disease is rampant among Americans, but laser treatment helps to manage this problem more comfortably than old-fashioned scaling with a scraping instrument. Our gum laser precisely eliminates harmful bacteria around and beneath your gums. Compared to physical scaling, you will experience less bleeding, quicker healing, and less gum swelling with our gum laser.

Porcelain

Artists have been creating beautiful works from porcelain for centuries, but it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that ceramic technology advanced to the point of becoming useful in dentistry. The first porcelain prosthetic teeth were fragile and prone to shatter from temperature changes. The technology gradually improved until, in the early 1990s, dentists began adopting a new formulation of porcelain very similar to the porcelain in use today. This advanced dental porcelain provides excellent durability, color-matching versatility, and an appearance that is virtually identical to natural teeth.

Porcelain crowns are one of the most common dental restorations. A crown covers a damaged tooth, providing an attractive look while guarding the tooth against further damage and decay. In many cases, a crown can allow you to preserve a tooth that would otherwise need to be extracted down the line.

Using porcelain for crowns gives our team the ability to fabricate your restoration precisely, ensuring a great fit. Furthermore, we can match the color of your new crown to the shade of your other teeth for a completely natural look.

We also provide porcelain veneers, an excellent method of correcting numerous dental cosmetic imperfections. These thin ceramic strips are fixed to the front surfaces of your teeth, offering a non-surgical way to cover spacing issues, tooth discoloration, chips, and uneven teeth. Porcelain veneers can last for years and give your smile a natural but greatly improved appearance.

Another type of dental restoration we provide is porcelain bridges. A dental bridge replaces missing teeth with prosthetic teeth and is held in position by crowns on adjacent teeth. A porcelain bridge is very aesthetic, even in a highly visible location, such as the front of your mouth. Porcelain strongly resembles natural teeth, so it is an excellent choice as a material for dental bridges.

Digital X-Rays

Radiography or X-ray technology has been around for many decades and is invaluable for medical and dental diagnosis and treatment planning. However, recent advances in dental technology are quickly turning conventional X-rays into relics of the past. Today, digital radiography offers several advantages over traditional radiography.

Our digital X-rays use much less radiation than conventional X-rays—up to 90% less! This is excellent news for the health and safety of our patients. Additionally, our digital radiography systems allow our team to quickly access your images and easily store your X-rays as computer files rather than physical films. Not to mention, our digital imaging is better for the environment since they do not need to be developed and use no plastic film.

We invite you to experience the convenience and comfort that our cutting-edge modern dentistry technologies offer. Please contact our team at Tory Hill Dental today to schedule your visit.