A Camera that Finds Cavities? Available at Our Park Ridge Dental Office

It's true. We have a camera at our Chicagoland dental office that is replacing intramural camera that we used for many years. Intramural photos of your teeth, gums, etc. are very valuable in their own way by helping us diagnose dental problems and show/explain them to you. The new camera, SoproLife® is an excellent cameral for this but has one big advantage: it can also find decay. 

The special light in the camera penetrates the enamel and underlying tooth structures and bounces back to the camera. If there is decay, it shows as red on the image of the tooth. We have used a laser (DIAGNOdent) in the past, and will continue to do so, but the DIAGNOdent could not be used around old fillings crowns, or in between teeth. The SoproLife will work in these areas and help u to be as accurate as possible in finding cavities as early as possible. This is especially important around old fillings and crowns that are stained, look suspicious, or have become symptomatic to you.

 

We will continue to use our digital x-rays and the DIAGNOdent, but the addition of the SoproLife is a big step forward. 

SoproLife also has a high magnification setting, which will help us to evaluate cracks in teeth and find calcified canals when doing root canal therapy. 

In addition, Dr. Rubino will use it when removing deep decay near the nerve chamber. The SoproLife will allow him to remove the decay only and not the sound tooth structure, which could help avoid an exposure of a nerve. 

We will be using the new camera on most patients at their preventative maintenance appointments. So next time you're here, you'll get to see how it works. Feel free to contact Rubino Dentistry and let us know what you think!

What to Know About Cavities and Fillings

As a dentist near Chicagoland, I do see my fair share of patients come through my Park Ridge dental practice door with a cavity or two. It's not at all uncommon for people to have cavities, it doesn't make it okay, but it is common.

Dental cavities have been around since people have been around; the treatment of them has been been around for centuries at least, however, it was in the wonderful year of 1875 when the organization of the treatment came about. Dr. G. Black created a plan for how to successfully treat the cavities that his patients were regularly suffering from. Dr. Black created the idea of using a filling to treat the cavity as well as removing any decaying part of the tooth. His concepts were so good that they fostered the modern treatment of dental cavities. 

The treatment is comprised of two simple parts: remove the decayed part of the tooth and then fill that with some sort of filling material; today, we use silver (amalgam). For the procedure, the dentist will often give the patient a local anesthetic like Xylocaine or Novocain; if the patient does not want this, then they can get "laughing gas". Once that has taken effect, the dentist will remove the decayed part of the tooth with a high-speed drill; do not worry, since you have the anesthetic, you do not feel any pain.

Once the tooth has been drilled, the dentist will often use some sort of liner to help reduce any tooth sensitivity. Many dentists will use a liner that is comprised of gluma, copalite varnish, and then some dycal. This liner will help the dentin regenerate in your tooth and help heal it. If you have a deep cavity, then the dentist will likely use a bass as well as the liner. As a dentist in Park Ridge, I have used these both before.

Once the tooth is ready for the filling, the dentist, along with the patient, can choose a filling; most common one is amalgam, resin, silver, or even gold. This last layer will help rebuild the tooth to its original integrity and strength.

It is entirely common for your tooth to be a bit sensitive for a day or two; if you experience discomfort for an extended period of time after your filling, then contact a dentist immediately. If you are in Chicagoland, contact Rubino Dentistry and we can take care of it. It is possible that you can have an infected pulp, which is remedied by root canal therapy.