Advanced Technology

Precision Dentistry

When you seek care at our office, you are assured that Dr. Planken and staff utilize the latest in technology to enhance the quality and fit for your dental care.

Our practice uses high power microscopes to enhance the precision of patient care.

Dentistry is micro-surgery. Using microscope that is similar to the one an ophthalmologist uses enables us to create dental restorations with incredibly precise fit and finish. You just can’t fulfill that level of care with the naked eye.

In addition to allowing precise, close-up work, the microscope directs a beam of light directly on the teeth, minimizing glare for you.

Many dentists use air-driven “hand-pieces” (the dental term for “drills”). While acceptable for many procedures, these “whiney sounding” air-powered hand pieces all have a degree of non-concentricity; they do not rotate perfectly smoothly.

For the most precise aspects of restorative procedures, we use electric hand-pieces. This results in extraordinarily precise interfaces between your tooth and your new restoration (dental crown, tooth veneer, or tooth filling). This will bring more comfort to you as well. With a more precise tool, there is less vibration and less noise.

Digital Imaging

Dr. Planken chooses carefully which and when radiographs are taken. There are many guidelines that we follow. Radiographs allow us to see everything we cannot see with our own eyes. Radiographs enable us to detect cavities in between your teeth, determine bone level, and analyze the health of your bone. We can also examine the roots and nerves of teeth, diagnose lesions such as cysts or tumors, as well as assess damage when trauma occurs.

Dental radiographs are invaluable aids in diagnosing, treating, and maintaining dental health. Exposure time for dental radiographs is extremely minimal. Dr. Planken utilizes Digital Imaging Technologies within the office. With digital imaging, exposure time is about 50 percent less when compared to traditional radiographs. Digital imaging can also help us retrieve valuable diagnostic information. We may be able to see cavities better.

Digital imaging allows us to store patient images, and enables us to quickly and easily transfer them to specialists or insurance companies.

Digital X-Rays:

Digital X-rays offer more precision since we view the image on a computer monitor, instead of holding up a 35mm film up to the light. Digital X-rays results in 1/6th the radiation exposure to you.

Laser Dentistry

For patients who do not look forward to needles, drilling, or numbness, Laser Dentistry may be the right choice.

Laser dentistry is one of dentistry’s latest advances. The laser delivers energy in the form of light. Depending on the intended result, this energy travels at different wavelengths and is absorbed by a “target.” In dentistry, these targets can be enamel, decay, gum tissue, or whitening enhancers. Each one absorbs a different wavelength of light while reflecting others. Laser dentistry can be used for both tooth and soft tissue related procedures. Oftentimes no local anesthesia is required. Unlike with the dental drill, with laser dentistry there is no heat or vibration, making the procedure quite comfortable for most patients. For soft tissue (surgical) procedures it eliminates the need for suturing and healing is much faster.

Lasers can be used to diagnose cavities. They can find hidden decay in teeth in early stages, and in some cases the decay can be reversed through hygiene and fluoride treatment and may never need filling.

Areas of dental care that benefit from laser technology:

Dental lasers have been shown to be safe and effective for treating both children and adults.

TRIOS INTRAORAL SCANNER

Say good-bye to the days of gagging on trays of gooey impression material while your dentist takes a dental impression. We have installed the innovative new TRIOS Intraoral Scanner that quickly and comfortably takes three-dimensional, full-color digital impressions of teeth, gums, oral structures, existing dentures, and implants in record time. This small handheld device is placed in a patient’s mouth to retrieve computer-accurate images (radiation-free photos) that can be viewed immediately—by both patient and doctor—on a screen in our office.

PURPOSE OF THE TRIOS INTRAORAL SCANNER

Thanks to cutting-edge technology, we are able to easily create dental impressions that can be used to design and produce effective surgical guides and restorations, track gingival changes, and create mockups. Digital impressions gathered by Trios are used for the same procedures as traditional dental impressions, including:

  • Dental crowns and bridges
  • All-on-4® treatment concept
  • Onlays and veneers
  • Dentures and removable partials
  • Full mouth rehabilitation
  • Clear braces

BENEFITS OF THE TRIOS INTRAORAL SCANNER

Patients and doctors prefer the immediate, hassle-free perks of Trios digital scanning as compared to the traditional way of retrieving dental impressions. Check out the following advantages of using a Trios Intraoral Scanner.

  • Convenience—leaves no mess/all digital
  • Speed—requires less patient chair time
  • Comfort—includes no rubbery impression material in the mouth
  • Education—allows patients to view 3D images of the mouth
  • Efficiency—digitally communicates with labs, avoiding remakes
  • Research—follows changes in gingiva over the years
  • Security—produces digital mock-ups of the proposed treatment
  • Accuracy—provides perfect color match and surgical guides for implant surgery

INFORMATIVE AND DETAILED

Our Trios not only provides detailed scans of the oral structures that help our doctor in her planning and operative procedures, but the images are used to explain various dental procedures and processes to our patients—not commonly accessible via conventional impressions—educating them more extensively on the details of their oral health and proposed treatments while minimizing visits and maximizing consultation time.

REDUCED RISK AND SAFETY

Customizing treatment and making decisions according to your particular case is our specialty. The Trios Intraoral Scanner allows our surgeon to see the structures of your jaw, teeth, and surrounding tissue, ensuring proper placement of the restorations and minimizing the risk of unexpected complications.

The Trios Intraoral Scanner is the safest method for gathering images available today. The device is smaller than the traditional trays, making the intraoral scanner an excellent option for those with severe gagging reflexes. What’s more, the process entails taking pictures, not x-rays, which involves no radiation.