Intraoral Cameras
Intraoral cameras are changing routine dental appointments. The intraoral camera gives patients a unique view of each tooth, helping them understand diagnoses and make informed treatment decisions.
The intraoral camera is connected to a computing unit at the side of the dental chair. A pen-sized wand is inserted into the mouth, and a movie of the inner mouth is created. This video can be magnified more than 30x, allowing you to view every aspect of the teeth in full color. The intraoral camera is an incredibly valuable tool that brings dentistry to life.
How can the intraoral camera help?
Utilizing intraoral cameras is a completely comfortable process for patients and provides an honest assessment of the teeth. Here are some of an intraoral camera’s main uses:
- Dental education: Education and preventive care are highly important in dentistry. The intraoral camera can expose areas where home hygiene may be deficient. Dr. Dudee can then address problems before they require more complex treatment.
- Exposing hidden problems: Conditions like gum disease and oral cancer may display easy-to-miss symptoms in their earliest stages. The intraoral camera can highlight these issues more clearly for the dentist and the patient.
- Treatment planning: No matter how well any dentist describes a condition, it’s easier to understand when you can see it. Seeing tooth decay and problem teeth helps patients understand why certain treatments are recommended for maximum health benefit and aesthetics.
- Assessing progress: Some treatments impact the teeth slowly. The intraoral camera allows Dr. Dudee to adjust treatment along the way, if needed, to ensure the desired results are achieved.
- Eliminating uncertainty: One of the most common patient fears is that a dentist is performing unnecessary treatments. The intraoral camera highlights problem areas, making individuals less likely to refuse necessary treatment.
- Referrals to specialists: On occasion, a patient may need to be referred to a specialist for complex treatment. If the specialist can view clear images of the teeth in advance, consultation times and costs can be reduced.
How will the intraoral camera be used?
The intraoral camera is the size and shape of a pen. It’s covered with a disposable sheath to ensure that no germs are transmitted from patient to patient. The slim wand is inserted into the mouth and rotated until clear pictures of every tooth can be recorded. The images are transmitted onto a television screen in movie format. The movie can be paused, and images of individual teeth can be magnified so Dr. Dudee can explain and explore any noticeable problems. One of the biggest advantages of the intraoral camera is that it does not expose patients to radiation. The intraoral camera is one of the most useful and versatile diagnostic tools available.
If you have any questions or concerns about the intraoral camera, please contact us.
Panoramic X-rays
Panoramic X-rays (also known as Panorex® or orthopantomograms) are wraparound photographs of the face and teeth. They provide a view otherwise invisible to the naked eye. X-rays, in general, reveal hidden structures such as wisdom teeth, show early signs of cavities, and can also show fractures and bone loss.
Panoramic X-rays are extraoral and simple to perform. Usually, dental X-rays involve placing film inside the mouth, but panoramic film is hidden inside a mechanism that rotates around the outside of the head.
Unlike bitewing X-rays, which are taken every few years, panoramic X-rays are generally taken only as needed. A panoramic X-ray is not conducted to give a detailed view of each tooth, but rather to provide a better view of the sinus areas, nasal areas, and mandibular nerve. Panoramic X-rays are preferable to bitewing X-rays when a patient is in extreme pain and when a sinus problem is suspected to have caused dental problems.
Panoramic X-rays are extremely versatile in dentistry and are used to:
- Assess patients with an extreme gag reflex.
- Evaluate the progression of TMJ.
- Expose cysts and abnormalities.
- Expose impacted teeth.
- Expose jawbone fractures.
- Plan treatment (full and partial dentures and implants).
- Reveal gum disease and cavities.
How are panoramic X-rays taken?
A panoramic X-ray gives Dr. Dudee an ear-to-ear, two-dimensional view of both the upper and lower jaw. The most common uses for panoramic X-rays are to reveal the positioning of wisdom teeth and to check whether dental implants will affect the mandibular nerve (the nerve extending toward the lower lip).
The Panorex equipment consists of a rotating arm that holds the X-ray generator and a moving film attachment that holds the pictures. The head is positioned between these two devices. The X-ray generator moves around the head, taking pictures as close to orthogonal as possible. Head and body positioning determine how sharp, clear, and useful the X-rays are for the dentist. The pictures are magnified by up to 30% to ensure even the minutest detail is noted.
Panoramic X-rays are an important diagnostic tool and are also valuable for planning future treatment. They are safer than other types of X-rays because they expose the body to less radiation.
If you have questions or concerns about panoramic X-rays, please contact our practice.
Dental X-Rays
Dental radiographs (X-rays) are essential, preventative, diagnostic tools that provide valuable information not visible during a regular dental exam. Dentists and dental hygienists use this information to safely and accurately detect hidden dental abnormalities and complete an accurate treatment plan. Without X-rays, problem areas may go undetected.
Dental X-rays may reveal:
- Abscesses or cysts.
- Bone loss.
- Cancerous and non-cancerous tumors.
- Decay between the teeth.
- Developmental abnormalities.
- Poor tooth and root positions.
- Problems inside a tooth or below the gum line.
Detecting and treating dental problems early can save you time, money, unnecessary discomfort, and your teeth!
Are dental X-rays safe?
We’re all exposed to natural radiation in our environment. The radiation exposure from a full-mouth series of X-rays is equal to what a person receives in a single day from natural sources.
Dental X-rays produce a low level of radiation and are considered safe. We take necessary precautions to limit a patient’s radiation exposure when taking dental X-rays. These precautions include using lead apron shields to protect the body and using modern, fast film that reduces the exposure time for each X-ray.
How often should dental X-rays be taken?
The need for dental X-rays depends on each patient’s individual dental health needs. Your dental hygienist will recommend necessary X-rays based on a review of your medical and dental history, dental exam, signs and symptoms, age, and risk for disease.
We recommend a full-mouth series of dental X-rays for new patients. A full series is usually good for three to five years. Bite-wing X-rays (X-rays of top and bottom teeth biting together) are taken at recall (check-up) visits and are recommended once or twice a year to detect new dental problems.
Same Day Crowns in Morrisville
Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramic (CEREC®) has revolutionized dental procedures. Traditionally, if crowns, onlays, inlays, or dental veneers were needed to restore damaged teeth, multiple procedures and significant waiting time in between were inevitable. CEREC® creates these ceramic restorations within minutes in the dental office. This means that many treatments can be completed in just a single visit.
CEREC® includes several computer-assisted design (CAD) tools and a milling machine that creates custom ceramic restorative devices. CEREC® can benefit almost anyone needing a ceramic restoration. This is especially beneficial for nervous patients and can also reduce treatment costs.
How can CEREC® benefit me?
CEREC® can benefit almost anyone needing a ceramic restoration. Exceptions include patients with a history of broken ceramic devices and those with a deep bite. CEREC® devices are proven to last for over 5 years, but recent research indicates that most CEREC®-created restorations last for more than 10 years.
Additional advantages associated with CEREC® include:
- No temporary restorations
- High-quality ceramic products
- Minimal invasiveness
- Fewer injections and less discomfort
- Fewer dental visits
- Cost effectiveness
- More natural tooth is saved
- Long-lasting restorations
- Biocompatible solutions
What is the CEREC® system comprised of?
The CEREC® System is sometimes called a CAD-CAM system. CAD-CAM means Computer-Assisted Design and Computer-Assisted Milling. The CEREC® system has three major components:
Acquisition device: This device includes a high-quality camera and a medical-grade computer. This unit photographs the prepared tooth. The system creates three-dimensional images of the tooth on the screen, which Dr. Dudee uses to design the perfect ceramic restoration.
Three-dimensional CAD software: This software allows the dentist to examine the tooth from every angle. It is the closest possible thing to holding the tooth in the hands and rotating it.
Milling device: This unit actually manufactures the custom restoration from the specifications entered into the computer. A ceramic block that best resembles the existing tooth color is chosen and placed into the unit. Within minutes, the milling device produces the restoration the dentist designed.
What does a CEREC® restoration procedure involve?
The first step is preparing the tooth for the restoration. Depending on your particular case, Dr. Dudee will take photos of your affected teeth using one of CEREC’s® two imaging solutions. If using CEREC® Omnicam, Dr. Dudee will take several images of the tooth and send a three-dimensional, colored model to the CEREC® machine. If using CEREC® Bluecam, he will coat your teeth with a contrasting agent before taking images.
These images are transferred to the computer screen, where Dr. Dudee will view the tooth from every angle and design the final restoration. When the design is complete, it will be transmitted to the milling unit.
Dr. Dudee will insert a block of ceramic, matching your tooth color, into the milling machine, which will then create the full crown, onlay, inlay, or veneer. Before affixing the restoration, Dr. Dudee will perform a dry fit to ensure comfort. Once he establishes a perfect fit, he will polish the restoration and affix it to the tooth with dental cement.
If you have questions about CEREC® or would like to obtain more information on this innovative technology, please contact our office.
