Diagnodent

Diagnodent: Laser-Assisted Early Diagnosis

Today’s dental philosophy is diametrically opposed to that of the past. We now have a revolutionary way of detecting cavities. It is a German technology called Diagnodent which performs laser assisted early diagnosis for biting surface caries (cavities in lay terms). In the past a dental instrument (explorer) was used to find catches on the tooth surface. These cavities are not apparent on an x-ray until they are very advanced. Hence a lot more drilling has to be accopmplished if the problem is not diagnosed in a timely mannerth. Who in their right mind likes to have their teeth drilled more than what is absolutely imperative? Not me, not you.

To top that Dental Schools taught the term Prophylactic Odontotomy: extension for prevention!! Which means cut tooth structure where there is no decay!! Those of you who have silver mercury fillings can see how big they are.

The Diagnodent detects cavities way early and we treat them with ultrafine instruments. So we take very very little tooth structure away. Why destroy a human structure which can not regenerate?
Responsible dentistry calls for out of the box thinking. We do not want to hypnotize ourselves with the drill and remove precious tooth structure.