Preventative Dental Therapy

At Vestal Dental Associates, our goal is to not just fix problems but prevent future ones from occurring. Our philosophy is to treat our patient with the "end in mind"-for our patients to have the stable disease free beautiful smile that they deserve. We utilize High-Tech diagnostic equipment such as:

Digital X-rays
Our dental office utilizes computerized digital dental x-rays which require 90% less radiation than conventional film x-rays. With this new technology, the x-ray images come up on the computer screen in seconds allowing our dentists and patient to see the x-ray without the wait for traditional chemical darkroom processing. This enhanced imaging allows us to better detect dental disease, cavities and find other potential problems before they develop.

Diagnodent - Laser Cavity Detection
Meet the Diagnodent, the state of the art in cavity detection! The Diagnodent is a small laser instrument that scans your teeth with a harmless laser light searching for hidden decay. Locating hidden decay before it destroys tooth structure (from the inside out) is a big problem in modern dentistry. The widespread use of fluoride supplements has made tooth surfaces harder and more resistant to decay, which is a good thing. However, diagnosing cavities is more challenging because the disease process can start through microscopic defects in the hard surface enamel and can readily spread into the softer tooth structure beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, the external surface of the tooth still appears healthy. X-rays and probing with an instrument are simply unreliable in detecting subsurface decay, particularly when the cavity is in the early stages. Fortunately, the new Diagnodent is a major breakthrough that allows us to find cavities when they are small, saving time, money, discomfort and tooth structure for our patients. This unique instrument provides instant feedback on the health of the tooth. A pen-like probe simply glides over the tooth surfaces, constantly checking the status of the tooth . A number scale and audible alarm signals the dentist when there are signs of hidden decay. This new technology is completely safe and painless.

Sealants
A dental sealant (also called a pit and fissure sealant) is a plastic, professionally-applied material that is put on the chewing surfaces of back teeth to prevent cavities. Sealants provide a physical barrier so that cavity-causing bacteria cannot invade the pits and fissures on the chewing surfaces of teeth.

For any dental treatment related questions or to schedule an appointment, please call us at 607.785.3339 or email us, and our staff will happy to assist you.


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