Traditionally, finding cavities or decay on the chewing surfaces of your teeth was accomplished by “poking” your teeth with sharp metal instruments called explorers. Decay causes the hard surface of your teeth, the enamel, to soften and break-down. If a tooth had decay, the metal explorer would stick in the tooth.
Decay begins in a tooth by a very small break in the enamel. The decay then enters the tooth and begins to erode inside the tooth. Many times, the initial break in the enamel is so small that it is undetectable to both the metal explorer test and even the human eye.
With laser technology, we are now able to detect decay in its earliest form. The KaVo Diagnodent is an instrument that utilizes laser fluoroscopy to see the unseen. By scanning, not “poking”, the chewing surfaces of your teeth, the laser finds small breaks in the enamel that lead to full decay.
In any disease, early detection is best. Tooth decay is a disease, and the Diagnodent Laser is one of the best methods available to find decay early. By finding tooth decay in its early stages we can restore teeth with the most conservative therapies. This approach maximizes your oral health, and allows you to keep as much of your own healthy tooth structure as possible.
To learn more about the Laser Cavity Detection system, please call our office or visit www.kavousa.com.