Our Technology – Planmeca
Patients’ Guide to Understanding Dental X-rays
We are committed to offering our patients excellence in dentistry and the highest level of patient care. Our investment in state-of-the-art dental technology and products is part of that commitment.
As your dental practitioner, it’s my job to promote oral health so you can keep your natural teeth throughout your entire life. It’s also my job to provide treatment when disease or conditions require intervention. In our office, we utilize both 2D and 3D x-rays to obtain accurate information about your dentition and surrounding anatomy. X-rays are necessary so we can accurately evaluate your overall oral health and properly diagnose areas of concern.
Digital X-rays
X-rays yield a wealth of information used for evaluation and treatment planning. However, it does expose the area we’re imaging to radiation. We want to give you the facts about radiation and alleviate any concerns you may have.
What is Radiation?
Radiation is a form of energy in waves. It exists on a spectrum; there is low-frequency radiation such as radio waves and microwaves, and there are high-frequency waves as gamma rays or x-rays. Additionally, we’re exposed to radiation in everyday life from taking a flight, living in high altitude area or from the potassium in a banana! Radiation is all around us. However, higher frequency and ionizing radiation should be carefully monitored as it has a higher risk of affecting the cells in our bodies. X-rays utilize this kind of radiation.
Responsible Imaging
Our number one priority is excellent patient care, and that includes practicing responsible imaging. We don’t take x-ray images that are unnecessary. We’ve also invested in an x-ray imaging unit that offers the industry’s lowest radiation. Our 3D x-ray system can take an image with an average reduction of radiation dose up to 77% compared with standard x-ray imaging protocols! That’s important to us and one of the reasons we chose this imaging system.
How are Extraoral Images Acquired?
Taking an x-ray image with our imaging unit is simple. You will either stand or sit, for patients in wheelchairs, comfortably in the unit. The clinician will select the proper program and the gantry, the part of the unit that takes the x-ray, will rotate around your head. The scan is painless and takes a few seconds. Images acquired will be available immediately. You will appreciate seeing these images during your patient consultation. They will help you understand the treatment we are recommending and why it’s essential.
Better Patient Care
X-rays are a necessary part of dentistry. They allow us to know more about your anatomy for optimal oral health, accurate diagnostics, and efficient treatment planning. Having this information will enable us to perform procedures that are often less invasive, better for you, and offer the best outcomes.
The x-ray system we use is from a company called Planmeca. Planmeca is a Finnish based company and the leader in x-ray technology. We’re proud to offer this kind of advanced technology in our office. If you’d like more information, please ask one of our knowledgeable dental team members.
Better Image Quality
When it comes to diagnosing, X-ray image quality is crucial. Any movement a patient makes may lead us to need to re-take the X-rays because we want to ensure accuracy. It’s just like if you were taking a photo and you have an itch, so you jolt, and are left with a blurry picture. The same goes for capturing your X-rays.
To save you time and money AND to ensure accuracy,we’ve invested in Planmeca’s 3D Imaging. This technology includes a Planmeca CALM™ algorithm to detect patient movement and cancels the effects caused by this movement, which adds value to any image by improving its quality.
It’s particularly beneficial when imaging restless or livelier patients such as children, individuals with special needs,and elderly patients.
Book your appointment by giving us a call at Sarasota Office Phone Number (941) 212-2328 or click the button below!
Planmeca Emerald Intraoral Scanner
Planmeca Emerald is an intraoral scanner manufactured in the USA by E4D Technologies that allows us to gather digital impressions, aiding us in providing you with next-level restorations.
What are the benefits of using Planmeca Emerald?
- Premium Usability and Comfort: The scanner’s small size and lightweight, smooth design is very comfortable for patients.
- Unprecedented Speed: The lightening-speed of Planmeca Emerald allows us to gather a scan of your full arches in less than a few minutes.
- High-Level Accuracy: We use Planmeca Emerald to capture digital impressions with flawless detail and accuracy to design restorations and appliances.
- Single Patient Visit: Planmeca Emerald combines scanning, designing, and milling into a single workflow, allowing us to produce your restoration in one visit.
DEKA Dental Laser
DEKA CO2 Lasers are part of a rising group of technical advancements in the field of dentistry that give practitioners a significant advantage when it comes to soft tissue therapy and treatment. Laser dentistry uses lasers to treat dental conditions involving teeth, gums, and bones. Our instruments create light energy in a very narrow and focused beam that produces a reaction when it hits the tissue. This allows the tissue to be shaped or removed. We’re able to use laser dentistry in a wide variety of procedures, including:
- Frenectomy
- Gingivectomy
- Facial Aesthetics (RF Microneedling)
- Biopsies
Benefits of Laser Technology in Dentistry
- Procedures involving tissue removal or recontouring may not require sutures or stitches.
- Some laser treatments may not require anesthesia.
- The high-energy light beam minimizes bleeding because it aids in the clotting (coagulation) of exposed blood vessels, thus decreasing or stopping blood loss.
- The high-energy beam minimizes bacterial infections because it sterilizes the area being treated.
- Damage to surrounding tissue is minimized.
- Wounds heal faster and tissues can be regenerated.
DEKA QuietNite
Although snoring is just one symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, it is the largest and most affecting. And when it comes to relieving patients of that symptom, DEKA QuietNite is best for the job.
By using revolutionary laser technology and the power of CO2, DEKA QuietNite treatment can relieve a patient of snoring symptoms in less than ten minutes.
A True, Non-Contact Laser
With ideal penetration depth, DEKA lasers are the gentlest and most precise on soft tissue. No tips to initiate, and no disposables.
Better Healing, Better Pain Management
CO2 reduces post-op pain and sensitivity by sealing nerve endings. There is also a reduced inflammatory response — I.E., less swelling, and faster healing. Blood vessels are sealed as well, reducing the need for sutures. And, because CO2 energy kills bacteria on contact, there’s no risk of cross-contamination.
3D Printing
3D printing revolutionizes oral surgery by creating precise models of maxilla and mandible arches, as well as zygoma prints. This technology allows for customized implants, enhancing surgical planning and patient outcomes. With tailored solutions, 3D printing in oral surgery ensures a more accurate and efficient approach, ultimately improving patient care.