Decay checked by 3D scanning services
Going to the dentist’s office is not my favorite place to go. I have never been there without having to hear that drill whizz and grind. As a kid, I was thankful that I didn’t have to go that much. It’s one of those things where the longer you stay away, the more miserable you are when you do go. Sometimes I envy grandma for not having real teeth. The only thing I think of about the dentist’s office is the pain. For that reason, I miss thinking about the technology that goes into taking care of teeth. One technology specifically that I never think about is how dentists use 3D scanning services to check teeth for decay.
Dentistry has come along way
The first dentist, is it claimed, lived over 4000 years ago. It doesn’t take a history major to say that dental care techniques have improved a lot over the several millennia. Today we use X-Ray technology which has improved dental care more than anything else. The reason is that most dental problems don’t occur above the gum. These parts generally get cleaned up with water and with the tongue wiping the teeth. It is those places below the gum that don’t get cleaned well. When the tooth corrupts beneath the gum they need to take a radiographic image. A radiographic image is created by sending out a radiation burst to the tooth. As the radiation passes through the tooth and strikes the film. The image that is left of the film is basically a picture of the densities that the radiation had to pass through. The dentist can decay on that 2D x-ray image.
Make way for 3D scanning technology
As we all know, 2D is clearing out his locker and leaving space for the new kid on the block. That new kid is 3D scanning services. 3D scanning is taking over the dentist chair as well with cone beam computer tomography. That is a fancy word that simply means a 3D dental scan. Instead of just seeing a 2D side shot on x-ray film, cone beam computer tomography (CBCT) gives dentists a 3D image of what is going on inside your mouth. Scanners like the Gendex GXDP-700 gives a fantastic image of the mouth. Of course, there are some good and bad about it. The bad obviously is the radiation exposure that people have to endure. Young kids have to especially be careful not to be exposed to too much. The doctor will keep that in check to make sure it doesn’t happen too often. The good thing about CBCT is the speed. It only takes a few second.
Going to the dentist doesn’t have to be a bad experience. It can be a fun experience if you can just get your mind off of the horrible screeching drill and the needle shot straight to the gum, you’ll be OK. Take your mind off of that and put it on something cool like all of the innovative ways 3D scanning services is being used.
