Digital technology in dentistry
The digital revolution has finally reached the dental practice and affects all aspects - data administration, diagnostics and therapy.
Hand written medical records are no longer state of the art. Patient´s data, the medical history and all important records can be found rapidly with the help of computer based systems. Nobody has to search for hand written medical records any more. Of course, data protection is a very important issue.
The appointments can be managed by an electronic data system, it is easy to find and modify them if necesary.
Digital X-ray has revolutionised diagnostics in dentistry. Film-based x-rays had to be watched with magnifying glasses to see small details. After ten years they could not be used any more due to fading. Copying was difficult. Digital x-ray has reduced the necessary radiation dose drastically - by about 90%.
The images can be sent by e-mail if needed and are available without delay after taking the picture. It is posible to take measures directly on the computer, the x-ray can be magnified on the screen on a large scale to see finest details. There are different filters available to optimise the x-ray picture for the planned therapy.
The intra-oral camera has access to every area of the oral cavity. You can see all details together with the dentist on the computer screen.
Diagnodent is a laser-based diagnostic system for caries that can discriminate between a simple discolouration in a tooth and a caries with treatment need.
In the field of therapy digital technology is used to restore teeth with ceramic inlays and onlays in a chairside technique - CEREC. A 3D scan replaces the impression taking, a virtual model is generated on the computer. The dentist designs the restauration, the digital system produces it in the same session. No temporary measures, no impression taking, just one appointment!
