Technology

Digital x-rays reveal the structures beneath the surface of your teeth and gums. The images show cavities, bone loss, infections, and other dental issues not visible during a visual examination. These high-resolution images are invaluable because they help our team diagnose dental problems accurately and plan treatments effectively.

Digital sensors are placed inside your mouth and capture images using a small amount of radiation. The process is fast, painless, and more comfortable than traditional film-based x-rays. The captured images are instantly available for review, allowing our dentists to make informed decisions promptly.

Digital X-Ray Benefits

• Reduced radiation exposure — Digital x-rays emit up to 80 percent less radiationthano traditional film-based x-rays.
• Improved image quality — Our team can enhance and enlarge digital images, allowing us to detect issuesmore accuratelyy.
• Enhanced patient education — Our dentists can review the digital images with you to help you better understand your oral health and any necessary treatments.
• Safer for our environment — Digital x-rays eliminate the need for chemicals used in film processing, making them an eco-friendly alternative.

3-D Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is an advanced dental technology that provides a comprehensive and detailed view of your teeth, jaw, and surrounding structures. 

Cone Beam Images: A 360-Degree View

During a 3-D cone beam scan, the machine rotates around your head, capturing a series of images compiled to create a single, detailed 3-D image. The term "cone beam" refers to the cone-shaped x-ray beam used to capture these images, allowing for a wider view of your oral structures than traditional x-rays.

While routine x-rays provide valuable information about your teeth and bones, 3-D cone beam imaging offers a more comprehensive view of your oral structures. It captures not only your teeth and bones but also soft tissues, nerves, and blood vessels, giving our dentists a better understanding of your oral health and anatomy.

Planning Advanced Dental Treatments

3-D cone beam imaging is typically recommended for complex dental treatments, such as dental implant planning, orthodontic assessments, and TMJ evaluations. At Raleigh Dental Arts, we use this technology to plan implant placement with precision and develop surgical guides for optimal outcomes. With 3-D cone beam imaging, we can ensure accurate implant placement, resulting in more successful and comfortable treatment.

Dental lasers work by emitting a focused beam of light energy controlled by our dentists and used to remove, shape, or modify soft tissues in your mouth. The precision offered allows us to perform treatments with minimal damage to surrounding tissues, promoting faster healing and minimizing discomfort.

How We Use Laser Dentistry

We use dental lasers in a wide variety of applications, including: 

• Treating gum disease by removing inflamed gum tissue and promoting healthy tissue regrowth
• Reshaping the gum line for cosmetic purposes or to improve the fit of dental restorations
• Performing biopsies or removing oral lesions, such as canker sores or fibromas
• Whitening teeth by activating the bleaching agents in professional teeth whitening treatments
• Decreasing the severity of snoring with fast, non-invasive treatment that requires no anesthesia.

Patient Benefits: Comfort and Efficiency

Laser dentistry helps reduce pain and swelling, minimize bleeding, and promote faster recovery. Dental lasers are also less invasive than traditional dental tools and often reduce the need for sutures or anesthesia. Laser dental treatments are also generally more efficient, so we can provide a more streamlined experience and reduce your time in the dental chair.  

CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics) is an innovative dental technology that allows our dentists to design, fabricate, and place high-quality restorations in a single appointment.

CEREC Technology: Precision and Customization

CEREC uses CAD/CAM technology to create precise and customized dental restorations. The process begins with a comfortable digital scan of your mouth used to create a 3-D model of your teeth. This model allows our dentists to design your restoration with a high degree of accuracy and precision and ensure a perfect fit and natural appearance. Once the design is complete, the CEREC milling unit uses the digital model to create your custom restoration from a block of high-quality ceramic material.

CEREC same-day crown technology offers numerous benefits to our patients, including:

• Instead of multiple appointments required for traditional dental restorations, we can design, create, and place your crown in just one visit.
• CEREC restorations are made from high-quality ceramic materials that closely mimic a natural tooth's appearance for a natural-looking result.
• The materials used for CEREC restorations are strong and durable, ensuring that your restoration will last for many years with proper care.
• CAD/CAM technology ensures your restoration is designed and created with exceptional accuracy, providing a perfect fit and optimal function.

Traditional dental impressions require messy impression materials that most patients find uncomfortable and awkward. Instead, digital impressions use a small, handheld scanner to capture high-resolution images of your teeth and gums. These images are then combined to create a detailed, 3-D model of your mouth, which can be viewed, manipulated, and stored digitally.

Benefits of Digital Impressions

Digital impressions offer numerous advantages over traditional impression methods:

• Comfort — The digital scanning process is quick and non-invasive, eliminating the need for uncomfortable trays and gag-inducing impression materials.
• Accuracy — Digital impressions provide highly accurate and detailed images, which can result in a better fit for restorations, such as crowns, bridges, and aligners.
• Efficiency — Digital scanning is faster than traditional methods, reducing appointment times and allowing for quicker turnaround on dental restorations.
• Visualization — Digital impressions enable you and your dentist to view a 3-D model of your mouth, making it easier to understand your treatment needs and visualize the final results.
• Environmentally friendly — Digital impressions are stored electronically for easy access and to reduce paper and material waste.

We aim to make your appointments comfortable, pleasant, and anxiety-free. With televisions in all our treatment rooms, you can sit back and enjoy your favorite program while our amazing dental team works to improve your dental health. 

Raleigh Dental Arts uses rotary endodontics to provide efficient, comfortable root canal treatments. During root canal treatment, we remove infected or damaged pulp inside the tooth, then clean, shape, and fill the canals to prevent reinfection. The electric handpiece allows for precise control, while the flexible nickel-titanium tip is more adaptable to the natural curves of the root canals to deliver excellent long-term outcomes.

Benefits of Rotary Endodontics

Rotary endodontics offers significant advantages over the traditional method of using manual files:

• Allows for faster cleaning and shaping of the root canals, reducing treatment time and the number of appointments required
• Improves patient comfort, thanks to the smooth, precise motion of the electrically-powered rotary instruments
• Provides better control and precision during treatment, leading to more accurate and effective cleaning of the root canals.
• Results in fewer complications and higher success rates for root canal treatments
   

Using digital records at Raleigh Dental Arts offers numerous benefits to improve your experience:

• Our team can easily and efficiently access your information, eliminating the need to search through piles of paper files.
• Digital records improve accuracy by reducing the likelihood of errors, ensuring you receive the most appropriate care based on an accurate dental history.
• Team members can communicate seamlessly with each other and with specialists to coordinate your care and ensure everyone involved is on the same page.
• Your digital records include high-quality images, such as digital x-rays or intraoral photographs, to help you visualize your dental condition and understand treatment options.
• Digital records streamline administrative tasks, allowing our team to focus more on providing quality patient care.