Dental Technology: Dental Imaging
Cosmetic Dentistry Directory
hanks to computers and lasers, dental technology has developed in leaps and bounds over recent years. The old slow-speed drills are gone, as are the glasses of pink rinsing water and the scalpels. Dentistry is now faster, safer, far more comfortable, and overflowing with new choices.
Digital Radiology
Dentistry now uses digital radiology (X-rays), which gives many benefits to both patient and dentist. Instead of using photographic film, digital radiology uses X-ray sensors. You no longer have to bite down on those hard squares of film -- the sensors are small and fit easily in the mouth. Images can be viewed immediately since no chemical film processing is necessary.
Further, digital X-rays subject you to far less radiation – about 90 percent less than traditional X-rays. That is because their exposure time is less than a quarter of the time required for traditional X-rays. They can be emailed to other dentists and require no office space for storing.
Panoramic X-rays were developed by the U.S. Army to quickly see a soldier’s dental health. Instead of the 18 films that used to be necessary to examine the entire mouth, now one panoramic shot shows it all. However, it does not show jawbone loss or tooth decay so clearly, so you may still need to have separate views taken.
For better bone images, dentists have begun using Computed Tomography (CT scans) as a diagnostic tool when planning dental implants or assessing severe gum disease. Some dentists use Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) for more extensive three-dimensional imaging. This procedure was adapted from the medical equivalent, Computed Axial Tomography (CAT scans), but exposes you to far less radiation than CAT scans do.
CBCT has many valuable uses. For example:
- If you have impacted teeth or TMD (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder), or
- If you are having dental implants to replace missing teeth
3D images help your dentist plan your procedure in precise detail. Orthodontists can use it in planning a person’s teeth realignment; sleep apnea dentists can use it to assess a patient’s airway; and a dental surgeon can use it in working on oral pathology.
Digital Cameras
Digital cameras enhance a dental practice by providing instant color images – photos that can be used like any other digital photos. They can be emailed to the patient or another dentist, printed, stored without taking any office space, and displayed on the chairside monitor for discussion.
Technology For TMD Diagnosis
In past years, Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) was not diagnosed or treated by anybody, doctors or dentists. Now we have neuromuscular dentistry that, like cosmetic dentistry, requires post-graduate training at a school like the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI). A neuromuscular dentist is trained in diagnosing and treating TMD.
- The K7 Evaluation System
For a person’s TMD to be effectively treated, it must be accurately diagnosed. The K7 system is a computerized way of gathering very detailed and precise data about a person’s jaw movement and jaw joints. It provides three types of data:- Jaw muscle range of motion
- Jaw muscle electrical activity
- Jaw joint sounds
- i-CAT® Cone Beam Imaging SystemThe i-CAT® provides 3-D radiologic images in great detail. You sit in a large open structure with your chin on a curved resting piece while the system takes less than 30 seconds to scan your head and jaw from all sides. The system software shows many images that can be enlarged for detailed study.
Dentistry uses the i-CAT (a) in diagnosing TMD, as it shows each jaw joint and how the bones are positioned; and (b) in diagnosing sleep apnea, as it shows the airway in relation to surrounding structures.
- Thermal Imaging
Thermal imaging uses an infrared camera or scanning device to detect body temperatures. When there is inflammation present, or any abnormal tissue such as pre-cancerous tissue, more heat is given off and thermal imaging can detect that difference.
It is widely used in medicine. Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI) is one system and Medical Thermal Imaging (MTI) is another. It can pick up skin or breast cancer before an X-ray can and it is used in diagnosing many conditions such as nerve damage, whiplash injuries, arthritis, Swine Flu and carpal tunnel syndrome. It is used in some airports and busy train stations to find people with a viral disease.
In dentistry it is a very useful tool in diagnosing TMD. The jaw muscle inflammation shows up in thermal photos as a red/orange color. Your neuromuscular dentist can enlarge the photos on the chairside monitor and show you exactly where the source of the pain is.
There is no radiation and it is entirely non-invasive with no body contact at all. There are no side effects, any more than when someone snaps your photo with their cell phone camera.
For more on dental technology, please see:
- Dental Technology: Catching Problems Early
- Dental Technology: Reducing Pain and Discomfort
- Dental Technology: Dentist/Patient Communication
- Dental Technology: New Materials and Devices
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