Diagnodent

It is our goal to help you maintain and improve your oral health. To achieve this goal, the dental care that you and your family receive in our office always includes advanced equipment. i.Dental is a progressive oriented practice that placed emphasize on the use of advanced technologies which we integrate more and more into our daily dental treatments. As a value add to our patients we generally do not charge a higher amount for such services. Among the newest technologies is a small laser instrument called the DIAGNOdent, which scans your teeth with harmless laser light searching for hidden decay.

Objective and Accurate Diagnotics

A proper diagnosis is an important step in planning the treatment for patients. Without good diagnostic tools, dentist will not be able to treat properly. The main diagnostics has always been the eyes and the probe of the dentists which is subjective and at best x-rays of the tooth. With a diagnodent pen, caries detection is made easy.

This unique instrument provides instant feedback on the health of the tooth. A pen like probe simply glides over tooth surfaces constantly checking the health of the tooth. A number scale and an alarm signals the operator when there are signs of hidden decay. This new technology is completely safe and pain free.

Locating hidden decay before it destroys tooth structure (from the inside out) is a major goal for modern dentistry. The widespread use of fluoride supplements in dental materials, toothpastes and drinking water has made tooth surfaces harder and more resistant to decay. However, diagnosing cavities beneath the hard surfaces is more challenging because the disease process can start through microscopic defects in the hard surface enamel and can readily spread into the softer tooth structure beneath the surface. X-rays and probing with an explorer are limited in detecting sub surface decay, particularly when the cavity is in its early stages. Fortunately, the new DIAGNOdent is a major breakthrough that allows the dentist to monitor the areas below the hard surfaces. The DIAGNOdent allows the dentist and hygienist to locate hidden decay, and with treatment stop the spread of disease before it destroys the tooth from within.

Sterilization

Patient Safety and Sterilization is of utmost concern at Dexter Dental Center.  Layers of infection control procedures are used to address this concern.  When at all possible, disposable, one-use instruments and supplies are used.  Needles, prophy angles (the rubber-like cup used to polish teeth during cleanings), saliva ejectors (the straw-like suction device used to remove saliva from your mouth) are all single use. The ones used on you have NEVER been used on another patient and will be disposed of after one use.

All reusable instruments such as handpieces (drills), metal hand instruments, etc, are ultrasonically cleaned of debris, and sterilized in a hospital-grade autoclave before reuse.  Color-change indicators are used during sterilization to confirm the instruments were subjected to the presence of sterilizing conditions (heat, steam, pressure).  Our Autoclave is state-of-the-art, surpassing US sterilization requirements and meeting the more stringent European Class B requirement.

All surfaces that are contacted during a dental procedure are covered with disposable plastic "sleeves" which are disposed of after each patient.
Before and after each patient, all surfaces in the dental operatory are cleaned, wiped, and sprayed.

All employees use protective eyewear, masks, gloves, and protective clothing.  Broad-spectrum antibacterial soap is used to wash hands, and disposable gloves are ALWAYS changed between each patient.  We buy disposable gloves by the case, and are glad to do so for your protection.

When you come to our office, you place your trust in us.  We see that as an awesome responsibility and obligation.  We take that responsibility with the utmost seriousness by being meticulous, careful, and thorough in our sterilization and patient safety procedures

Lasers

Lasers have been used in dentistry since 1994 to treat a number of dental problems. Yet, despite FDA approval, no laser system has received the American Dental Association's (ADA) Seal of Acceptance. That seal assures dentists that the product or device meets ADA standards of safety and efficacy, among other things. The ADA, however, states that it is cautiously optimistic about the role of laser technology in the field of dentistry. These lasers are different from the cold lasers used in phototherapy for the relief of headaches, pain, and inflammation.

Still, some dentists are using lasers to treat:

• Tooth decay. Lasers are used to remove decay within a tooth and prepare the surrounding enamel for receipt of the filling. Lasers are also used to "cure" or harden a filling.
• Gum disease. Lasers are used to reshape gums and remove bacteria during root canal procedures.
• Biopsy or lesion removal. Lasers can be used to remove a small piece of tissue (called a biopsy) so that it can be examined for cancer. Lasers are also used to remove lesions in the mouth and relieve the pain of canker sores.
• Teeth whitening. Lasers are used to speed up in-office teeth whitening procedures. A peroxide bleaching solution, applied to the tooth surface, is ''activated" by laser energy, which speeds up of the whitening process.

Cerec

One of the latest dental technology tools to appear on the dentistry scene is CEREC®. The CEREC machine is a special computer that acts as a dental restoration tool, allowing your dentist to restore decayed teeth, place dental crowns, remove defective amalgam dental fillings, or place porcelain dental veneers in just one appointment.

The CEREC Procedure

The beauty of a CEREC restoration is just that -- its beauty. Unlike unsightly silver dental fillings, CEREC fillings or restorations are made of tooth-colored ceramic (porcelain) so they look natural. A CEREC procedure requires less time, less drilling and fewer injections, too. It might sound too good to be true, but if you doubt that such good-looking restorations can be made in your dentist's office in just three easy steps, CEREC will put some optimism back into those doubts.

Here's how a typical CEREC procedure goes:

Exam and Preparation -- Your dentist examines your teeth, decides on the preparation method and starts prepping your teeth (removing the tooth decay).

Optical Impression -- An optical impression (picture) of the prepared tooth is taken.

Restoration Creation -- Your dentist uses the CEREC machine to design and create your tooth filling, dental crown or veneers, right in the office!

Velscope

A New Way to Examine for Oral Disease

VELscope® Vx technology is changing the way oral mucosal examinations take place. The VELscope®Vx handheld device emits a harmless, bright blue light which is used to inspect the mouth and tongue. The device is extremely sensitive to abnormal tissue changes and the distinctive blue-spectrum light causes the soft tissue (oral mucosa) of the mouth to naturally fluoresce. Healthy tissues fluoresce in distinct patterns that are visibly disrupted by trauma or disease, such as neoplastic lesions, and fungal, viral or bacterial infections.

The VELscope® Vx Enhanced Oral Assessment System centers on a handheld scope that is used by dentists to help detect oral tissue abnormalities, including cancer and pre-cancer.

The VELscope® Vx system is an adjunctive device which means it must be used together with and as a supplement to the traditional intra and extra oral head and neck exam. Unlike other adjunctive devices used for oral examinations, the VELscope® Vx does not require any dyes or prolonged testing procedures. In fact, a VELscope® Vx exam can be performed in the dentist's office during a routine hygiene exam in about two minutes.

Digital X-Rays & Pan

1. Direct digital X-ray imaging saves time as Images appear on-screen within seconds after the exposure and are immediately available for diagnosis anywhere in the practice network.

2. Imaging process is not sensitive to external factors like film based imaging. Since film, film processing and darkroom are no longer needed, the most common reasons for image retakes are eliminated.

3. Digital images can be enhanced in imaging software. This brings new opportunities in diagnostics and allows adjustment of the image darkness and contrast if they are not optimal in the original image.

4. Digital archives and networks enable efficient image communications. Electronic image copies are of original quality and thus the highest qualtiy image is always available for diagnostics and consultation.

ZEISS 3D Glasses - The moment a treatment chair turns into a movie chair.

Forget that you're sitting in a dentist's chair; lean back and pretend you're at the movies.

Positive sensory stimuli "transport" the patient optically and acoustically out of the anxiety-ridden atmosphere of the treatment room at the dentist or an operating room. Patients simply wear the cinemizer OLED multi-media video glasses and watch a relaxing or entertaining video. The patient therefore forgets where he is and can relax all the more easily - for his own benefit and that of the doctor treating him.

Modern dental practices use cinemizer OLED glasses during preventive treatment (the removal of plaque, polishing or fluoridizing etc.) and also during bleaching. In other words whenever treatment is lengthy and the "waiting time" can therefore become a trip to the cinema for the patient.