The thought of going to the dentist’s office isn’t always a pleasant one. Someone rooting around in your open mouth and occasionally doing painful things probably isn’t how you’d like to spend your day.
Fortunately, new dental technology is helping to make the once-insufferable dental visits a thing of the past. There are several new products that can be used at home to improve your dental health, too, making it less likely you’ll need significant work done at the office. New technology used by dentists also makes in-office treatments easier and more comfortable.
Cutting-edge technology is much less invasive, less time-consuming, and makes it easier to help you take care of your teeth on your own. The dentists at Josey Lane Dentistry, in Carrollton, Texas use proven, advanced technology to make your dental visit as easy and pain-free as possible.
For use at home
Brushlink
Brushlink coaches people on how to brush their teeth better. Clinical evidence backs up this product’s capabilities of dramatically improving patients’ dental health.
What is it?
Brushlink is a small device that attaches to a toothbrush, transforming it into a smart toothbrush. The device uses Bluetooth to connect to the free Brushlink app that then provides real-time coaching to help patients brush at the desired 45–degree angle on each tooth. Additionally, the log kept by the app enables dentists to have a much more accurate study of their patients’ teeth than what a semiannual check-up provides.
Clinical trials showed that Brushlink reduced plaque build-up by 40% or more over a four–week trial period.
Colgate Plaqless Pro
This electronic toothbrush uses optic sensor technology to search for biofilm build-up in the mouth, and then inform users about how to best remove it—in real time.
Connecting the toothbrush with the app gives users a personalized, exact brushing experience. The app provides a map of the user’s mouth, instant brushing feedback, coaching, and oral care tips. The toothbrush uses an LED to indicate when biofilm has been detected, and to communicate to the user when it has been removed.
Waterpik Sonic-Fusion
Everyone needs to floss, even though a minority of patients actually do it. This toothbrush combines water-flosser and a sonic toothbrush in a single device. The Waterpik combines flossing and tooth brushing into a one-step process that is twice as effective as both regular flossing and brushing. The water can get into areas where neither brushes nor floss can, which cleans out bacteria and biofilm.
The Waterpik was shown to remove 99.9% of plaque, 25% more stains than regular brushing, and is 50% more effective in improving gum health than string floss. And as an added bonus, it’s just as gentle as regular toothpaste.
Innovations at the Dentist’s Office
Dental 3D Printers
3D printers have revolutionized a lot in their short time. From houses to guns to food and medicine, people are trying to 3D print just about everything.
The dental market is no exception. 3D printers can be used to decrease dependency on labs that usually produce things like tooth replacements, crowns, and veneers. Not only will these companies save thousands of dollars by printing their own items, but more importantly, they will enable same-day dentistry. Patients will be able to walk into a dentist’s office, get a scan, and have a 3D printed (and in-house created) dental solution that same day.
Patient Tracking and Management Software
There’s an app for that.
Digital automation enables a higher efficiency for all parts of patient care. Instead of relying on phone calls and snail mail from the dentist’s office, patients can now receive everything from automated texts to emails about upcoming appointments.
Dental websites with log-in portals enable clients to register as patients at a clinic, and cloud and server-based solutions enable extensive patient record keeping by dental offices.
Rather than assigning office staff to call people every day about upcoming appointments, they can set up an automated system that will never forget to remind patients when to come in to the office.
Laser Dentistry
Laser technology can be used in numerous ways and has enormous benefits in dentistry.
Uses include, but aren’t limited to:
- Tooth whitening
- Bacteria removal
- Preparing for fillings
- Eradicating lesions
- And tooth decay removal
Meanwhile, the additional benefits of laser dentistry are many. The laser naturally cauterizes the wound, for one, which decreases the need for sutures and the loss of blood; it sometimes obviates anesthesia; and it sterilizes the wound (decreasing odds of infection).
Robotic Dentistry and Artificial Intelligence
Robotics in dentistry is still a brand-new field and has the potential to induce great change. Robots can be fine-tuned to micro-movements and thus respond to patients’ movements with much greater exactitude and accuracy than human dentists. Robots can also use artificial intelligence (AI) to predict and respond to things like plaque build-up, application of caps, and tooth extractions.
In the future, it is predicted that robots will be able to perform more invasive surgeries as well.
Digital Impression Scans
Josey Lane Dentistry uses digital Scans to help you get the best dental care possible.
Digital impression scans use CAD (computer aided design) technology to make scans of the interior of the mouth, rather than the traditional wax molds and clay casts. These procedures are less time-consuming, invasive, and provide better, more specific care for dental patients. These scans eliminate the need for patients to bite into a tray of compression material, and they improve the process of dental restoration.
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