The Benefits of Intraoral Camera

The intraoral camera is not just a diagnostic tool, but it also serves as an educational one too. In the past, dentists have struggled to explain dental decay and other health problems to patients. Most people cannot see well into their own mouths, which leaves dentists to drawing diagrams or using props to attempt to explain what is going on in the mouth of their patients.

The intraoral camera enlarges the inside of the teeth to more than 40 times their actual size on a full color screen display. By zooming in on problem areas in affecting the teeth, dentists are capable of seeing much more than they could with the human eye alone. Often, dentists find the beginnings of periodontal disease or tooth decay that would have otherwise gone undetected if examined without the intra-oral camera.

One of the primary uses for an intraoral camera is in patient education. Dentists often find it helpful to be able to show patients exactly what is going on inside their mouths, and to highlight areas where medical attention may be needed. Patients are also less likely to defer or refuse procedures when they can clearly see the area at issue, as some people are suspicious of recommendations for dental procedures, due to concerns about cost, potential pain, or the fears about members of the dental profession.

In addition to being used in patient education, such cameras can also be used to take clear visual records for patient files, and to generate material which can be used in consultations and discussions with other dental providers. For example, a general dentist might use an intraoral camera to take images of a tooth or area of the jaw which requires oral surgery so that a maxillofacial surgeon can examine the information before he or she meets the patient to get an idea of the kind of surgery which might be required.

With the intraoral camera, however, the patient sees exactly what the dentist sees on an in-office screen. If necessary, the dentist can pause on a particular tooth or area of the mouth to point out problems and explain possible treatment options. This also frees the patient to ask questions and become a part of the examination process. When dentists can point out specific places on the actual teeth that are decaying, patients may have a better idea of how home hygiene practices and brushing techniques are affecting them.

An intraoral camera is a camera which is designed to be used in the mouth for the purpose of taking video or still photography. These cameras are most commonly used in dental offices, although patients can also use them at home to monitor dental health or to satisfy curiosity about what the inside of the mouth looks like.

One Important Dental Equipment -- Dental Autoclave

Dentists tend to get all the credit when things go right during a procedure, but as most will admit, a dentist is only as good as his equipment. If you’re using worn-out equipment or haven’t invested in necessary tools, you’ll never reach your full potential as a professional.

One of these necessary tools, dental autoclaves, plays a crucial role in keeping your patients healthy. Since autoclaves are involved in the sterilization of dental instruments, you simply cannot afford to invest in anything but the best. However, you should know that there are several varieties and price points of autoclaves available to suit your specific needs.

Maintain sterilized instruments in the pouches or wrapping in which they were sterilized. If the packaging becomes torn or wet, the items must be repackaged and heat sterilized. Avoid mingling non-sterile packages with sterile ones. There should be a visible indicator, such as chemical indicators or color-change autoclave tape on the outside of each package to allow staff to easily discern sterilized instrument packages from those that have not yet been heat-processed.

 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Dental Association (ADA), OSAP, most state dental licensing boards, and dental handpiece manufacturers all recommend heat sterilization between patient uses. Virtually all handpieces currently in production are heat-tolerant, and those that are not can be retrofitted to allow heat-processing. Autoclaving and chemical vapor sterilization are considered accepted methods of heat sterilization. High-level disinfection via chemical germicides cannot be biologically monitored to assure sterility. Further, extended contact with chemical germicides may corrode handpiece components.

Autoclaves are certainly essential to your job as a dentist, but as you know, there are thousands of other things you’ll need to pay for along the way to properly stock your office. The average new dental practice needs about $500,000 in cash for structural upfit, equipment, and supplies. If this sounds impossibly daunting to you, you are not alone. Find a trusted retailer online that offers a wide range of dental tools as they typically have higher quality equipment with lower prices.

Choosing the Best Portable Dental X Rays Unit for Your Practice

Dental equipment is vey important to our dental practice. Dental X-rays are one of the most important part of your regular dental treatment. Your dentist uses the specialized imaging technology to look for hidden tooth decay – also called cavities – and can show dental issues such as abscessed teeth, dental tumors, and cysts.

When contemplating the change to digital dental in your practice, the choices can be confusing for the dentist. Dental radiography has evolved from film and chemical developers into a highly technical process that involves various types of digital x-ray machines, as well as powerful dental software programs to assist the dentist with image acquisition and diagnostic analysis of the acquired images.

Like old fashioned dental X-rays, digital dental X-rays are used by your dentist to take images of your mouth, including tooth structure and your jaw bones. In order to take the digital images, your dentist – or a dental technician – will place a small sensor in your mouth, carefully positioned. This small sensor is connected to the processing computer by a very thin wire.

Your dentist or the dental tech inputs the command for the handheld dental x-ray unit to send a X-ray through your teeth and into the sensor, effectively taking a photo of your tooth or teeth. The sensor captures the resulting image and sends it through the wire to the computer. Then your dentist will reposition the sensor and take additional digital X-rays until all of your teeth have been X-rayed.

With digital dental X-rays, your dentist or other dental professional is able to immediately see your teeth and jaw bones. This means that assessment and diagnosis is virtually instantaneous.

A portable dental x-ray is a device that is able to go to the patient as opposed to a standard x-ray machine, which is attached to a wall in a dentist office and requires the patient to be in-office. Some portable devices are completely hand-held while others sit on a stand. When making the decision to purchase x-ray equipment, the doctor needs to research the available options thoroughly, in order to make an informed choice for the “right” machine for his or her practice.