Dental Technology
Digital X-Rays
There are many advantages of digital X-rays over traditional dental X-rays.
- Digital X-rays are much faster and more comfortable for the patient.
- We can view images instantly.
- There is 85% less radiation.
- We can enhance the images in a variety of ways to improve viewing.
- Images can be stored electronically for instant retrieval in the future.
- We avoid the chemicals used in the traditional developing process, so it is better for our environment.
Do You Live or Work Near Downtown?
We're conveniently located right in downtown Minneapolis. Stop by on your lunch break or when you have a free hour and check us out.
Intra-Oral Cameras
We have proudly incorporated the use of intra-oral cameras in our office. These tiny cameras are placed inside our patients’ mouths to take a close up picture of the teeth and gums. This picture can then be displayed on the flat screen monitors in our treatment rooms and discussed with our patients. This tool is extremely helpful with patient education, as it helps our patients understand why treatment is necessary for specific dental conditions.
VELscope Oral Cancer Detection
The VELscope system helps our dentists visualize abnormalities in the tissues of your lips, mouth and upper throat. In just two minutes, with no rinses, stains or discomfort, a VELscope examination lets us improve our assessment of your overall oral health.
During this exam, our dentists will shine the VELscope light in your mouth. The blue light “excites” molecules (called “fluorophores”) deep within the layers of oral tissues. In turn, those fluorophores emit their own light (fluorescence), in shades of green, yellow and red. The VELscope’s proprietary filter makes fluorescence visualization possible, by blocking reflected blue light, and by enhancing the contrast between normal and abnormal tissue.
This exam is completely non-invasive, takes less than 2 minutes and could potentially save your life!
CEREC Same-Day Dentistry
CEREC is a revolutionary way to restore damaged teeth in a single visit—making your teeth more beautiful and stronger than before. With the CEREC 3D system, our dentists can quickly and economically restore damaged teeth using a durable ceramic material that matches the natural color of other teeth in your mouth. CEREC is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. Over a decade of clinical research and experience supports the CEREC technology. Dentists have performed over four million restorations worldwide.
The restoration can be performed in a single session, usually in about an hour. With CEREC there’s no need for us to make an impression and send it to the lab. The restoration is natural looking because it is made of tooth-colored ceramic material. It’s metal-free—no silver fillings to discolor your smile! The ceramic material is compatible with tissue in your mouth and is high-grade, anti-abrasive and plaque-resistant. It allows us to be extremely precise and to save more of the healthy part of your tooth.
- No second appointment
- Ceramics are bio-compatible
- No more messy and uncomfortable impressions
- A quality tooth-colored restoration that can last a lifetime
- Partial and full crowns
- Veneers
- All other single-tooth restorations CEREC can be used to restore tooth loss from the smallest cavity to large sections of a tooth. Sometimes resin fillings (non-ceramic) can break down where they built up against the tooth. Cracks can develop in the tooth, making chewing painful. It’s quite common to see multiple silver fillings in the same quadrant of the mouth failing.
First, we prepare the damaged tooth. Then, we apply a thin layer of reflective powder directly on the tooth’s surface. Using a special camera, we take a picture of the tooth. We work from this photo, which is actually a pin-sharp optical impression of the tooth. Computer Aided Design (CAD) technology helps us design the restoration from the optical impression. You can actually watch us design your new restoration on a full-color monitor right before your eyes.
