Technology

            When I think of Technology I remember this little clip from Napoleon Dynamite, “Yes, I love technology.”  In the field of dentistry there is a lot of research being performed; and new materials and products being created and tested.  In the past twenty years dentistry has taken great strides in providing new materials that last longer, bond stronger and look better.  This, in my mind, is a great benefit to each patient that is treated and to me as a dentist, providing the best service possible.

            A down side to all of the new materials being produced is not knowing which products really work.  Just because it is new doesn’t mean that it is the best.  For the past 36 years Gordon Christensen, a local dentist, has been testing new products as well as new techniques.  In the dental field he is known around the world for his work.  Each year we attend his lecture course to hear about many of the newest and best things.  They give us a recommendation of the top products for the year and the best techniques.  We feel our office can provide the best fillings and crowns possible.  We attended his course the weekend of January 25-26, of this year. 

            Here are some highlights we learned from the course this year.  For the past twenty years the most common type of crown used was a porcelain fused to metal, called a PFM.  Just in the past couple of years they have come out with some all porcelain crowns that have the same esthetic look, they look just like your normal tooth.  As well as some types that are strong enough to withstand the forces that will normally break the weaker but better looking types of crowns.  These new types of crowns look better, and they don’t chip and break if they are placed and made in the right way.  In our office in the past year we have started using these types of crowns.  Now, with such good test results, we are moving to use them even more. 

            Post operative sensitivity.  This is one of the hardest things to eliminate and the hardest to control as a dentist.  They gave us more tips on how to fight this, from types of desensitizers to place on the tooth before the filling, to the type and intensity of light used to cure the filling, to some new cements used to cement a crown that lower the sensitivity.  Who wouldn’t love coming to the dentist, when you can leaving and feel like you didn’t have any work done?

            Other technologies that are useful and making a lot of ground are the use of lasers.  Some gum procedures can be done now that normally would require some stitches and a moderate amount of pain associated with healing, that are eliminated with the use of lasers.  Digital impressions when we make a crown that will eliminate using impression material that tastes bad and can make you gag.  This way of taking an impression can speed up the process of making a crown.  Instead of physically taking an impression and sending it to the lab.  We can email the impression to the lab and they can start making the crown that day. 

            We are very excited for these new changes and can’t wait to make your experience at our office more and more enjoyable with better and better outcomes.

 

Dr. Mark T. Barry, DDS