Innovations: what’s new in dentistry?

If for some reason you have not been to the dentist during the past five years, you would be very surprised to see how far dental care has advanced in such a short period of time. Even an absence of one or two years would have allowed for the arrival of several new innovations, such is the speed at which dentistry is progressing to meet the needs of patients and allow practitioners to offer the best possible standard of care.

 

Nearly every part of the dental experience has changed to make things easier for the patient. For example, dentists are rapidly beginning to realise that audiovisual aids are necessary to make patients feel more comfortable, so don’t be surprised if at your next appointment you are offered a list of DVDs or CDs to watch or listen to while you undergo treatment. You may even be able to listen to the music on your own MP3 player.

 

Thankfully, modern methods of treatment involve much less pain and discomfort than they used to. Anaesthetic, for example, can now be administered painlessly by a computer-guided device known as The Wand, as opposed to the widely feared needle.

 

And thanks to another innovation, that dreaded anaesthetic may not even be necessary. The DIAGNOdent laser allows early detection and treatment of decay by shining a laser onto the tooth and measuring its density.

 

Early location of tooth decay means that the mouth may not have to be numbed, and patients can avoid that other unpopular piece of machinery, the drill. Should drilling be called for, however, your dentist can now opt to treat you with air abrasion technology, which again is practically painless and, mercifully, does not expose nervous patients to the sound of a conventional drill.

 

Dentists are now also armed with tiny cameras which they can use to beam pictures of your mouth onto a television screen, allowing them to take a better look at all of your teeth and so arrive at a more reliable diagnosis.

 

And did you know that it is now possible to have your teeth straightened without braces? Invisalign involves a cosmetic dentist taking an impression of your mouth and providing a number of sets of clear gum shields which fit snugly over the teeth during the various stages of realignment. Gone are the days, therefore, when teeth straightening involved embarrassing amounts of metal being attached to the front of your teeth. Invisalign is also considerably quicker than conventional braces.

 

Whitening has now also become a great deal easier than it used to be. The most effective methods again involve laser technology, and the results are better than ever before. Even simple toothpastes are far more efficient than they have ever been, with enamel protecting and anti-bacterial varieties taking the place of whitening pastes as the most in-demand products, as people try to counteract acid attack (on the increase due to the popularity of smoothies, fruit juices and other acid-rich foods) and safeguard the enamel on their teeth.

 

So, the next time you visit your dentist, remember that things are not what they used to be. Dentistry, like any form of modern medicine, does not stand still for long, and it is you, the patient, who benefits most.