Oral health care is becoming better than ever. Many new technologies are emerging that are more effective, safer and cheaper to use.

1. Digital X-rays are replacing the traditional radiographs. With, digital x-rays, an electronic sensor is placed in the mouth instead of film to get the image. With this method, the images are more easily transferred to a computer to view. It is also much faster than processing film from a radiograph. It is safer than a radiograph because the amount of radiation used is greatly reduced. Digital x-rays also tend to get a more complete view of your oral health state. It will capture more accurately than the radiograph.
2. Laser detection of cavities. In the past, dentists have used a metal “poker” to scrape teeth to find areas where cavities have occurred from tooth decay. With new technology, dentists are able to detect cavities and tooth decay with lasers. This works because healthy teeth exposed to the laser will not glow, and teeth with decay will glow proportionate to the level of tooth decay.
3. Computer assisted manufacturing allows for dentists to create their own molds for teeth in office instead of placing a temporary one while they wait for a dental lab to create it and send back.
4. There are now much better filling materials as well as bonding ones. Today’s materials can now more closely match the current color of the tooth as well as have a more natural look besides the coloring. Ragle Dental is a lab that utilizes these new technology for a higher quality product. Resin is used for bondings which is a plastic and porcelain is usually used for fillings. Many local dentists are using them now..

As you can see, there is a ton of progress being made that has created huge strides in dental health. It is becoming higher quality, less costly and much less hazardous.

Our last post on dental technology was quite popular and we missed a few good ones so we thought we would do a second edition!

1. Invisalign – A relatively new type of braces that are clear and almost invisible. They are a huge upgrade from regular metal braces. They are lighter, easier to clean, more effective and don’t have restrictions on types of food you can eat. They are also less painful and take less time than normal braces. Invisalign is a huge step forward in orthodontic technology that is readily available at many dentists offices.
2. Laser Dentistry. Lasers have become much more common and integrated into regular dental practices in the recent years. Lasers can be used in filling cavities, reducing tooth sensitivity, getting rid of tumors and teeth whitening, as well as many more procedures. Lasers are quicker than normal procedures and much more effective at the same time. It destroys bacteria without any problems. Sylvester Family Dental is an example of a dentist that uses laser technology to give patients the best oral care possible.

Those are all we have for dental technology updates today. There are only two but they are two very important ones that we didn’t get to mention in the first article.