Digital radiographs

Digital radiography is a form of x-ray imaging, where digital X-ray sensors are used instead of traditional photographic film.

1. 80% less radiation than conventional radiographs
2. time efficiency through bypassing chemical processing
3. the ability to digitally transfer and enhance images
4. safer environment, free of harmful chemicals used in developing conventional radiographs.
   

It is often difficult to pin down the causes but stress, acidic foods, specific foods, trauma and chemical sensitivities can play a role in setting off an attack.

Although there is no cure for aphthous stomatitis, laser treatments are very effective giving immediate pain relief and causing the ulcer to heal in 24-72 hours. most effective.

Cold sores are usually found on the outer lip. Typically there is a period for a day or two prior to the outbreak where the person feels itching in the area the outbreak will occur. Cold sores can be caused by trauma, sunburn, stress, illness, cold weather, and the like.

Laser treatments can give immediate pain relief and the lesion will heal in 24-72 hours. The laser therapy is identical to the laser aphthous treatment described for mouth ulcers above.

Periowave (hygiene laser)

Traditionally gum and bone infection (periodontal disease) is treated with a procedure called scaling and root planing. Performed by the dental hygienist, scaling and root planing involved using hand instruments to remove plaque and tartar. Even though it is a highly successful procedure in preventing and treating gum disease, it does not always work, especially in treating severe cases of gum disease with deep pockets, severe bone loss or patients with certain medical conditions(diabetes etc.) Unfortunately, research has discovered that , upon returning for regular 2, 3, 4, or 6 month appointments for scaling and root planing, bleeding (the classic sign of infection) is reduced by only 66%. The gums still bleed, and the pocket depths are still too deep – classic signs of active infection.

Since we are committed to clinical excellence at Danube Dental Clinic, we can now treat periodontal disease with the most advanced technology available in modern dentistry, micro-ultrasonic instruments and lasers. We combine the use of technologies and actually eliminate the infection rather than manage the disease, which has been the traditional form of treatment

How Does Laser Hygiene Therapy Work?
When using laser therapy in combination with the micro-ultrasonic instruments to treat the infection, bleeding is reduced by 99%! The laser therapy works by reducing the bacterial presence, thus decreasing the level of inflammation. On top of that, lasers have a biostimulating effect, helping your body’s natural healing process. So when the area is treated, bacterial activity that causes inflammation and eventual bone loss is interrupted, giving the tissues a chance to heal. This process allows the tissues to be disease-free to the point where tissues may even re-attach to the tooth and bring the pocket depth back to a normal or near-normal depth.

Laser Hygiene Therapy Sessions
At your initial laser therapy appointment, our laser certified dental hygienist will determine the number of sessions required to eliminate the infection. This will be determined by the number of bleeding areas, as well as the pocket depths. The higher the number of bleeding areas and the deeper the pockets – the higher the severity of the infection – requiring additional sessions until the infection is eliminated.

Quick, Comfortable and Pain-Free!
Laser therapy sessions can prevent the need for gum surgery, and are available at a fraction of the cost of surgery, with less pain, quicker recovery, and less scarring. While surgery may still be indicated for grafting purposes and advanced periodontal disease, treating the infection with laser therapy is a much more conservative, effective, and comfortable option.

One of the remarkable benefits of using the laser is how noninvasive and comfortable the procedure is. However, if you experience any discomfort, we place a topical gel into the gum pocket to numb the gums, and if there is still discomfort, we can give freezing to ensure that you are totally comfortable with the procedure (usually not necessary).

Periodontal Disease is a Risk to Your Health
Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection that enters the blood stream and travels to major organs, which can create new infections. Research suggests this may contribute to the development of:

• Heart and Stroke disease
• Pre-term births
• Low birth weight babies
  

It also poses a serious threat to those whose health is already compromised by diabetes, respiratory illnesses, and other systemic diseases.

The new laser cavity detector is a technological miracle! This device is 90% accurate at finding decay in the grooves of teeth, the place where 80% of all cavities start! Not only is it useful to detect decay, but it can also be used to actively monitor suspected areas so the dentist knows exactly when and how to treat the area. The idea of “watching” an area progress into a cavity that can be seen on an x ray is no longer considered good dentistry because once decay can be noted on an x ray it is usually twice as deep in reality!

How Does It Work?
The laser cavity detector uses the laser to measure the fluorescence of decay. Teeth do not fluoresce but decay will! The device uses a range of numbers from zero to 99. These numbers tell the dentist if it is an area that needs to be treated now or actively monitored. These numbers actually tell the dentist how deep the decay is inside the tooth! No more guesswork!!! You will be able to actively co-diagnose your teeth through the numbers on the screen and through the audible noises it makes! The dentist will give you a brief description of what the numbers and noises mean so you’ll know exactly what the dentist finds inside your teeth with this technological miracle. The laser cavity detector is 90% accurate. The other 10% is so small that no other means can find them!

What Are The 10 Benefits Of The Laser Cavity Detector?

• 90% accurate-the other 10% is so small there is no other means to find them
• Promotes minimally invasive dentistry- saves time, money, tooth structure
• Painless and saves you from discomfort-takes only a few minutes to use
• No more excessive radiation to you to find out if there is decay present
• Allows you to co-diagnose your teeth with the dentist at the same time
• Catches decay at its earliest stages-smaller fillings mean stronger teeth
• Tells the dentist when to treat and when to actively monitor areas
• Ensures no decay present before sealants are placed in grooved teeth
• Allows the dentist to “map” the direction of movement of decay
• Evaluates the success of your home care and fluoride therapy
  

Decay has changed over the years!!!
When we were children, decay was easily viewed on top of the teeth as “black holes”. Almost anybody could self-diagnose decay because it was usually obvious. We are now in the age of fluoridation. What that means is that most people have fluoridated water sources at home. Today, there are more sources of fluoride available even if you are in a rural area where wells are more prominent. Home fluoride treatments, vitamins with fluoride and fluoride treatments are readily available at the dentist for children and adults. Bottled water can even have fluoride in it !

With that said, fluorides given directly or indirectly are more prominent now and it has changed the way cavities look when inside a tooth. Decay used to be “hour-glass” shaped, meaning the decay had a large base in the enamel and came to a point at the place where the enamel stops inside the tooth and meets the next layer of tooth structure called Dentin. In the dentin, the decay would start at a point and then broaden to its base as it approaches the nerve. This would look like an “hour-glass” on the x rays and was usually easy to detect on the top of the tooth because it would cause a hole in the top of the tooth when enough tooth structure would break due to the decay. The dentist would use an instrument called an explorer and if it “stuck” inside the black hole then it was considered decayed. If it did not stick, then most dentists would consider it to be stained.

Today, the decay looks like a “rocket”, where it only appears as a black “spot” or even a “stained” area in the grooves on top of the tooth. Since fluoride makes the enamel very hard, the decay can only penetrate through it in a straight line down to the dentin and when it gets to the dentin it will look like the bottom half of the usual hour-glass base. Thus it looks like a rocket on a launching pad ready to take off on the x rays. Another thing to note is that the explorer can’t always penetrate these areas and may not ever “stick” in it!!! Also, the explorer itself CAN be too large to get all the way down to the bottom of the grooves on the top of the teeth!!!! Thus, decay can be present but be almost impossible to detect with just an explorer!!!

What does all this mean?
This means that the dentist needs help now determining if the tooth actually has decay in the tooth and to what depth and width and location the decay is moving inside the tooth. That’s why the laser cavity detector is so useful!!! The laser cavity detector can actually tell the dentist if decay is present and at what depth the decay has penetrated into the tooth! No more guessing!!! It actually helps the dentist know which treatment protocol would be best on that tooth!! Again, this allows more conservative treatment to be done which saves tooth structure, less discomfort and costs you less money!!!

Digital Intraoral camera

Intraoral camera provides an incredible diagnostic tool for the dentist and gives the patient the opportunity to be more involved in their diagnosis and treatment

There are many advantages that this new technology offers:

1. The intraoral camera is capable of magnifying images at a significant level. This can be an invaluable tool in allowing the dentist to see pathology, such as open margins, fractures, and caries, that wouldn’t easily be seen without this level of magnification.

2. The ability to have images on a computer monitor screen that is visible to the patient is a large benefit. In other words, allowing the patient to see the problems that the dentist sees will allow them to participate in the diagnosis of their dental problems and become more involved in choosing the .treatment.

3. The camera allows the dentist and hygienist to have a permanent record of a patient’s condition before beginning of treatment, therefore providing an important reference starting point to any dental treatment.

4. Adding photo documentation to an insurance claim will often speed up the approval of that claim.

One hour in-office whitening

Your smile is the first things people notice when you meet them. A whiter, brighter smile can help you feel better about yourself, feel more confident and make a memorable impression. Your teeth can get stained and darkened by

Whitening can improve the appearance of your teeth which can get stained and darkened by various things such as coffee, tea, red wine & smoking. Non-professional procedures and clinically unproven teeth whitening tips can often lead to unsatisfactory results, you should look for a whitening procedure that is:

The in office tooth whitening treatment is

• Fast and convenient
• Long lasting
• Low sensitivity
• Proven to be safe and effective
• Performed by a Dental Professional
  

What does tooth whitening do?
Tooth whitening can be a highly effective, yet very simple way, of lightening the colour of teeth without removing any of the tooth surface. It cannot make a colour change, but lightens the existing colour.

What does the procedure involve?
The dentist applies a chemical barrier to the gums, which will protect them during the whitening process. The whitening solution is then applied to the teeth and the chemical is then activated using heat, or heat and light combined.
Once the whitening process is finished the barrier will be easily removed in one piece.

If the tooth has been root treated, the canal, which previously contained the nerve, may be reopened and the whitening product is put in.

Some people find that their teeth are sensitive for the first few days after treatment, but this wears off after a short while. We will advise you of the products you can use to counteract this.

What about whitening toothpaste?
There are now several whitening toothpastes you can buy. Although they do not affect the natural colour of the tooth, they are effective at removing staining and therefore improving the overall appearance of the tooth.