Painless Early Cavity Detection with the Diagnodent Laser
Research has shown that dentists can miss up to 50% of cavities. This is not due to carelessness, but rather the way decay forms in teeth.
Dentists were taught to diagnose cavities by checking for soft spots in teeth with a small pick or by looking at an x-ray. Thanks to fluoride, sometimes people’s enamel can be very hard or dense, thereby making decay hard to detect with the hand or eye. Decay going undetected can lead to more invasive restorative procedures and expense. This is one of the reasons we have mixed opinions on sealants on teeth. Sealants can leak and decay can go undetected, even with the laser, because it can not penetrate through the sealant material.
The Solution: Early Detection & Early Treatment
The Diagnodent Laser works on the principle that healthy tooth structure reflects light differently from diseased tooth structure (cavities). The examination is completely painless.
The light wand is placed on the chewing surface of the tooth and the instrument registers a number that correlates with the density of the tooth structure and the probability of decay. The instrument is 99% accurate.