River Edge Dental has always been at the leading edge of dental technology and techniques. We proudly maintain a wide range of some of the most advanced dental equipment available. These aren’t just “toys” and “gadgets” – every dental technology we choose helps our patients have a better dental experience and achieve better results. Here are just some of the technologies we use to help you when you come to our office.
Laser Dentistry
No one likes the thought of having their gums cut with blades. Your gums are sensitive, especially if you have gum disease that is causing them to be red and inflamed. With a dental laser, we can perform many gum disease treatments without blades. The result is less discomfort, less bleeding, a faster procedure, and faster healing.
T-Scan Bite Assessment
In the past, bite assessments were crude: contact paper showed where your teeth were meeting and where they weren’t. But T-Scan gives us an exciting new tool that shows us not only where your teeth are meeting, but how much force they’re exerting. This tells us if some of your teeth are suffering under extreme bite force. This helps us with TMJ assessment as well as helping to ensure an optimal fit for your dental crowns, fillings, and other restorations.
DIAGNOdent ®
In the past, dentists looked for cavities either by probing with metal picks or, well, just looking. Although these methods could detect surface cavities, they couldn’t tell when you had cavities hidden under the surface. DIAGNOdent uses a low-powered laser to measure the density of your tooth enamel, allowing us to detect cavities that we can’t see – even on x-rays – so we can treat them before they become serious.
NuCalm
NuCalm is an exciting technology that uses your body’s own natural processes to defuse your anxiety responses to a dental visit. It goes beyond simple anxiety relief, as it puts your brain into a state normally only achieved at the edge of sleep or in deep meditation. Some people like NuCalm so much that they actually start looking forward to their dental visits and may even schedule visits just for NuCalm.
CT Scan
A dental x-ray is a flat image of your bones and your teeth, but for many procedures, such as dental implants, we really need to see what’s happening in three dimensions. A CT Scan is able to give us a three-dimensional representation of your teeth and bones. We use a cone beam CT scanner that focuses precisely on the treatment point to give us better resolution and reduce radiation exposure.
Trios Scanner
Are you tired of having to bite into impression material whenever you’re getting veneers, crowns, or other restorations? The Trios scanner allows us to take digital images of your teeth so you don’t have to bite down on impression material. It also speeds up the process of designing restorations and communicating with the lab so you can get your final restoration faster.
GLO Teeth Whitening
Have you ever wished you could whiten your teeth at home using professional-strength whiteners and an activator light to maximize the effect? Well, now you can. The easily portable GLO teeth whitening unit provides light to help maximize the whitening you achieve. In just a little over a half hour every day, you can dramatically whiten your teeth, much more than with whitening strips and other at-home approaches to whitening.
ALCAT Food Sensitivity Testing
For people who are suffering a wide range of symptoms like headaches and rashes that they’re having difficulty tracking down, a food sensitivity may be the problem. ALCAT testing lets us track down potential causes of your symptoms related to the foods you eat every day.
Oral DNA Testing
DNA contains many types of vital information that can help us prevent and treat gum disease. It gives us a precise recipe for your risk and allows us to design a custom treatment plan for you. There are two types of oral DNA testing available. First, we can determine what type of oral bacteria are in your mouth and whether they are ones associated with severe periodontitis. But bacteria are only half the story in gum disease. The other half is how your body responds to the infection, and we can test whether you’re likely to have a destructive immune response.
HPV Testing
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common types of virus, but it can be associated with certain types of oral cancer. However, only certain strains of the virus have been associated with cancer risk. DNA testing allows us to determine which types of HPV you have and whether they put you at risk.
TENS
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a kind of electric massage. It stimulates your muscles to pulse in a way that helps them relax and reduces endorphins that can reduce pain. It’s a treatment for TMJ in itself, but it also helps us get an assessment of your jaw function without influence from over tensed jaw muscles.
K7 Evaluation System
This system by Myotronics allows us to perform a comprehensive analysis of your jaw function. It’s an ideal complement to Tek-Scan, which shows how your teeth are coming together. The K7 tells us whether your jaw joint or muscles are causing the uneven forces in your bite, and helps us identify the optimal treatment.
At-Home Sleep Testing
Think you have to go to a sleep lab to be evaluated for sleep apnea? Think again. With new technology, many people can get testing for sleep apnea at home. This also allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of your treatment so we can be sure that you’re getting the desired results for healthy and restful sleep.
SomnoMed Oral Appliances
Oral appliances are a great alternative to CPAP therapy, and SomnoMed is the leader in the design and manufacture of dental treatments for sleep apnea. The devices are comfortable, easy to wear and adjust, and people can even talk while wearing them. SomnoMed devices even allow for digital tracking of compliance so that your insurance company, employer, or others can tell that you’re using your device if necessary.
Want to learn more about the technologies we utilize in our office or take advantage of the amazing benefits they offer? Schedule an appointment with us today at River Edge Dental.
