As modern dental technology advances throughout the years, new tools are developed to help you maintain a healthy smile throughout your lifetime. One of the best cavity detection tools available today is the Diagnodent. Verber Family Dentistry is committed to providing our patients with the very highest standard of care and began utilizing the Diagnodent several years ago when the technology became available.
While dental x-rays and manual probing are essential steps to diagnosing tooth decay, it can still be challenging to detect early caries, or cavities, that are hidden beneath the tooth’s outer enamel layer. Thanks to fluoridated water and toothpaste, tooth enamel has become very strong over recent decades. However, it only takes a microscopic fissure in the enamel layer to allow bacteria into the inner tooth structure, allowing it to destroy the interior of the tooth while leaving the outer surface apparently intact. The tooth may appear healthy, with little to no trace of the decay below.
Pretty amazing, isn’t it? How does this tool work? The Diagnodent works by using laser technology to “read” the tooth. It emits a light that penetrates the enamel layer to detect changes in the underlying tooth structure. A strong, healthy tooth structure that is free of decay will not fluoresce under the Diagnodent’s beam. However, tooth structure that has been damaged by decay will fluoresce. The Diagnodent converts the degree of florescence into a quantitative number to tell the dentist exactly how advanced the decay is. The device also emits an audible sound to alert the clinician as readings change from tooth to tooth.
This technology is fantastic news for patients, as tooth decay can be detected and repaired in its earlier stages. It allows both the patient and the dentist to feel confident in the accurate diagnosis of tooth decay so that treatment can be initiated sooner.
Images and reference information courtesy of KavoUSA. http://www.kavousa.com/US/DIAGNOdent.aspx
More information is available on their website!
