Can you think of an area of your life that technology hasn’t touched in some way? Entertainment, transportation, and even family dentistry have been improved as a result of technology.
You can see this for yourself if you visit Shorewood Family Dental Care, a family dentist near Joliet Illinois. Our commitment to providing the best care that we can to our patients includes the newest dental technology available.
In today’s post, we will describe how laser dentistry and digital imaging are improving the care we provide at our general dentist office in Shorewood, IL. More importantly, this affects what we do for our patients every day.
To experience the benefits of this advanced technology for yourself, all you have to do is make an appointment. Call us at 815-725-5991 or contact us online to schedule your visit.
Laser Dentistry & Gum Disease
If you thought laser technology was just something for weapons in space-based science fiction, then you are in for a pleasant surprise. We use dental lasers in our practice to improve the way we treat patients with gum disease.
Historically, surgery was needed to remove infected tissue in many cases of advanced gum disease. This involved cutting into the gums. Often, the dentist or oral surgeon had to remove some healthy tissue to be sure the infected tissue was removed.
As you might expect, using a scalpel lead to bleeding. This also meant stitches to close the gums as well as the need for someone to remove the stitches after the patient had healed.
Thanks to new dental technology we have lasers that provide a better way to remove infected gum tissue from your mouth. Quite literally, we zap it. This causes the infected tissue to effectively evaporate.
That means we don’t have to cut into your gum tissue. You have much less bleeding, and your recovery time is markedly faster than someone who had gum surgery.
The biggest benefit, however, may be something else. The laser allows our dentists in Shorewood, IL, to more precisely remove the infected tissue and leave more healthy gum tissue intact.
As the laser removes the infected tissue, it also seals the healthy tissue. In most instances, stitches are not needed, either.
This is just one of the ways laser dentistry is making dental care better for our patients. Call 815-725-5991 if you would like to find out what our dental lasers could do for you.
Digital Imaging & General Dentistry
X-rays have been a big part of dental care for more than a century. In that time, dentists have learned how to better analyze the images they see, and new dental technology has developed better and more efficient methods of creating those images.
Digital x-rays represent a big step forward. One example of this is that digital images can be transferred to a computer in a matter of seconds. This is valuable time compared to the old, film x-ray machines. This allows our dentists to see the latest images faster and to more easily compare the new images with previous x-rays to look for any changes.
Another huge benefit of digital x-rays is lower radiation. In fact, our digital x-ray machine uses a fraction of the radiation emitted by a film x-ray machine. In other words, the digital machine works faster and significantly reduces radiation exposure for our patients.
We’ve added cone beam imaging as well which is a smaller version of a CAT scan. In a matter of minutes, the cone beam can take hundreds of images of your teeth and supporting structures.
Those individual images are combined using computer software to create a three-dimensional model of your teeth, jaw, and other bones. Having this model is invaluable for both identifying problems and preparing for procedures.
One example of this is the placement of dental implants. Implants replace the roots of missing teeth, and they are used to secure dentures, dental bridges, and dental crowns.
With the 3D model, we can more carefully plan where your implants will be placed. This way, our patients can get the maximum benefit from their implants with a lower risk of problems.
New Dental Technology for Comfortable Dentistry
The team at Shorewood Family Dental Care wants every patient to have the best oral care possible. We also want you to feel comfortable and cared for during your visits with us.
Technology is just one of the ways we do this.
To learn more about us, contact us online or call 815-725-5991 to make an appointment soon.
