Technology has changed the face of dentistry
/ Blog
It seems only yesterday we had our wisdom teeth attached to a bit of string and ripped out by a slamming door.
Be grateful dentistry has come a long way since then.
It’s even surpassed those dire jack hammer drills; remember them? Those nasty grinding beasts that made your teeth smoke as they bit and cut and hacked at the edges of cavities like a mining bore digging an underground tunnel. No, dentistry has moved on from them too.
Yet dentistry has always been synonymous with pain, with nightmares; and with laying helplessly in a chair beneath a huge robotic praying mantis, every one of its skinny arms ready to inflict pain as a bespectacled, dentist leant in told you “This might hurt a little,” as it hurt a lot; the sweaty palms, the pain, the screams, the tears, the choked reach for the little paper cup you wished was straight whisky.
And sadly, we can’t forget. The stigma of pain remains. Dentistry is still a bit like OJ Simpson; there’s too much history to just move on and believe anything has changed.
But, but, but...
Dentistry has changed
Yes, there are still local anaesthetics that might cause a millisecond of sharp pain, but that’s pretty much where the pain ends in dentistry now. Cavity drills are far from the clunky, tooth-chewing beasts of yesteryear; these days they’re high speed, sleek and surprisingly easy on the teeth.
If you’ve been putting off a much needed trip to the dentist, it might be time to put your anxiety aside and open wide to the new dental world.
Dentistry goes digital
Forget those awful sharp-edged image plates dentists used to shove in your mouth to get an x-ray; the ones that made you gag and retch while the dentist fumbled about in the next room getting a hazy old image.
With digital imaging, they’ll soon be a thing of the past. In fact, in most modern dental clinics, they already are. Now an x-ray is as easy as placing a small, unobtrusive sensor in your mouth. Best of all, what the sensor sees is right there for you to view on a computer monitor in high definition.
New technology for off-colour and crooked teeth
Welcome to the new world of porcelain veneers. Now those gappy, chipped or nicotine-stained teeth can be transformed back into the pearly whites of your youth with matching tooth-coloured fillings, veneers, crowns and implants.
And if you think straightening crooked teeth means a metal mouth like an old James Bond villain, you might be in for a pleasant surprise. A revolutionary clear alignment system can straighten teeth without the need for braces.
Is that dentist’s visit looking a little more attractive now? If you’ve got possible issues with teeth or gums, don’t put it off any longer. Chances are you’ll head home with a healthy new mouth wondering what all the fuss was about.
