In-Office Technologies at Big Smiles Dental
At Big Smiles Dental, the technology we use helps to inform treatment planning and make your dental appointments run smoothly.
Since we can display digital X-rays and scans on the monitors in our dental rooms, we can show you any concerns we find and discuss treatment.
Our goal is to provide patients with dental care while making sure they are fully educated about their oral health. Dental technology helps us do that.
Digital X-Rays
Digital X-rays use digital sensors instead of traditional photographic X-ray film. This technology produces highly detailed computer images of the teeth and gums, as well as other oral structures and conditions. This allows your dentist to examine parts of the mouth that are not likely visible to the naked eye.
Panoramic X-Rays
Panoramic X-rays allow your dentist to create a single image of your entire mouth. This image is a flat representation of the teeth, upper and lower jaws, temporomandibular joints (TMJ), and nasal and sinus structures. Panoramic X-rays are often used to help plan treatments for dentures, braces, extractions and implants.
Soft Tissue Lasers
In dentistry, lasers (focused light beams) can be used in a variety of soft and hard tissue procedures. They assist our dentists to perform dental procedures with less pain and fewer medical interventions. At Big Smiles Dental, our dentists use lasers to remove overgrown or decayed tissue and to reshape the gums.
Intraoral Scanners
Intraoral scanners create digital dental impressions, an ideal alternative to traditional dental impressions. Your dentist simply uses an optical scanning wand to take a digital image of your teeth within minutes. This device helps your dentist to capture accurate data to create digital replicas of the hard and soft tissues of your mouth.
Cone Beam Cat Scan
Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a special type of X-ray machine that generates 3D images of dental structures, soft tissues, nerve paths and bone in the craniofacial region. Images obtained with CBCT allow for more precise treatment planning including analyzing your airway for snoring, and sleep apnea treatment.
VELscope® Oral Cancer Screening Device
The VELscope is an oral cancer screening device that helps the dentist identify abnormalities and diseases in the mouth including cancerous and pre-cancerous lesions. Using fluorescence visualization technology, it can be performed in your dentist’s office during routine exams and under normal lighting in about two minutes.
CEREC Same-Day Restorations
At Big Smiles Dental, we offer on-site restorations. Our dental team uses a variety of technological equipment to produce models of your teeth which can then be created immediately.