New Dental Laser Finds Cavities Years before They Show on X-rays

May 11, 2010 - PRLog -- New Dental Laser Finds Cavities Years before They Show on X-rays

Ultra small cavities can now be treated before they become big problems

Have you every had your dentist find a cavity, place a rather large filling, and you’ve wondered why the filling has to be SO large when the cavity wasn’t there just six months earlier?

The answer is that the cavity WAS there – it just wasn’t big enough to show up on a conventional x-ray.

Now there is a new technology called Diagnodent ™ that many dentists are using to diagnose dental cavities. This new device employs a laser which seeks and finds tooth decay that most dental x-rays miss.

“It’s estimated that up to 50% of tooth decay goes unnoticed using conventional x-rays,” notes Panama City dentist, Dr. Herb Salisbury, “and if it isn’t noticed then it doesn’t get treated.”
With this new scanner a harmless laser beam is directed at each tooth. The beam can find small pockets of decay inside the tooth. When decay is discovered, the scanner emits a series of sounds, which when combined with a digital read out, tells the dentist if decay is present and to what degree. It only takes a few seconds.

“When I use this on a patient for the first time they are amazed that I can even find this hidden decay, let alone treat it. Removing this decay will ensure small problems don’t turn into bigger and more expensive problems later,” says Dr. Salisbury.
Dr. Salisbury also notes there are several additional benefits to the patient, “They don’t have to wait for x-rays to develop which shortens office visits, there’s much less radiation exposure and we can catch tiny problems long before they have a chance to get worse. It’s really one of the best dental instruments to come along in many years.”
For more information call Panama City Dental at 850-784-0700, or on the web at www.panamacitydental.com

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