Breakthroughs in Dental Technology: A Better Patient Experience

Technology is transforming the way dentists do business. There are many reasons for this, but one of the most important is that technology allows them to provide a better patient experience. As patients become more educated about their oral health and dental care, they want to be involved in their treatment plan and see what’s happening during every step of the process.  

Technology has made it possible for doctors to show patients what’s going on in an easy-to-understand manner with 3D imaging, interactive tutorials, and virtual surgery simulations. In this blog post we’re going to discuss some of these breakthroughs in dental technology and how they will improve your customer experience as a patient! 

At the Dental Care Group we make sure both our patients and doctors are getting the most out of technology. This is why we’re working with dental innovators like Invisalign®, and iTero® to bring you a better patient experience.  This technology has allowed the Dental Care Group to achieve a Diamond status with Invisalign®, which places us among the top 1% of all dental offices in the world.  

Invisalign® Technology – Invisalign® is an alternative to traditional braces that uses clear plastic aligners incorporating Smartforce® technology instead of metal brackets and wires. Patients wear each set of aligners for one to two weeks before moving on to the next in their treatment plan. Most cases are completed in 6 months or less due to this amazing technology.  In addition to providing our patients with beautiful smiles, Invisalign® has given over 2000 of our patients healthy mouths with aligned teeth that should last a lifetime.  

iTero® Scanner – This technology uses a high-resolution camera to scan your teeth and create life-like, digital images of the inside of your mouth. These images are used during treatment planning. In addition, to providing a 3D model of a patient’s teeth, the iTero® scanner has replaced virtually all of the “gooky” impressions in our office and not one patient misses that.  The iTero® scanner also uses imaging to diagnose cavities and evaluate a patient’s occlusion (bite) without any radiation. 

Speaking of radiation, at the Dental Care Group, all of our radiographs only use digital x-rays, which are 1/3 to 1/2 of traditional dental radiographs, which are already among the lowest in all of medicine.   We are very conscious of the concern that many of our patients have to minimize their exposure to all forms of radiation.  

 We are often surprised when a new patient comes to our office and sees our panoramic x-ray machine and states that they have never seen such a modern device at any of their previous dental offices.  But when they see we also have a CT scan in our office, which is often used by our specialists, they are blown away knowing that they do not have to go to another imaging center for a CT scan.   

 Patient comfort is critical at the Dental Care Group.  Traditional anesthesia is often replaced with technology like computer generated anesthesia or a buffered anesthetic, which makes a dental injection as comfortable as possible.  It is not unusual for our dentists to hear “that’s it?” after administering an injection to a patient in our offices.  

 These technologies often are visible to our patients, but what they do not see is just as important.  Our dental materials, be it cements or bonding materials, and our dental laboratories are cutting edge and world class.  A Dental Care Group patient knows that they are getting the best when they come to our offices.