Technology

Digital x-rays, also known as digital radiographs, are critical to providing safe, effective dental care. These x-rays produce high-quality images of your teeth, gums, and surrounding structures, allowing our dentists to diagnose and plan treatment accurately.

The most significant benefit is that digital x-rays reduce radiation exposure by as much as 80 percent compared to film x-rays. Taking digital x-rays is also more comfortable because we use digital sensors that fit comfortably in your mouth. Capturing images is quick and convenient, and our dentists can share them with you on a computer monitor to discuss your dental needs.

We can also easily store and share digital images among our dental team, other professionals, and your insurance company, if necessary.

Laser technology has been used for decades to improve the efficiency and outcomes of medical procedures; at Laguna Springs Dental, we offer you the benefits of laser dentistry. Since laser dentistry is non-invasive, our dentists can perform efficient procedures, produce minimal bleeding, and result in faster recovery times than traditional methods.

We commonly use laser dentistry for soft tissue procedures, such as gum contouring, crown lengthening, and treating periodontal disease. They can also be used for removing oral lesions and treating cold sores.

An intraoral camera is a small, handheld device our dentist uses during your exams. The small camera captures magnified images of your mouth, teeth, and gums and displays them on your computer monitor in real time.

Intraoral cameras help our dentist by showing cavities, cracks, worn teeth, and other problems that aren’t obvious during a routine visual exam. Identifying these problems early on benefits you because prompt treatment can help you avoid more invasive and costly procedures in the future.

Intraoral cameras are also a great educational tool because they allow you to see the condition of your teeth and gums up close. When you see what we see, our dentist can point out problems, explain the importance of treating them, and describe how it will benefit your oral health.

We can also capture still images from our session that we add to your digital patient record. This makes them easily available to share among our team members or with other specialists.

Another step we’ve taken to improve your comfort at Fontenot Family Dentistry is using digital impressions. Nobody likes the dreaded pink paste or sitting with a metal tray stuck in your mouth waiting to get a usable impression of your teeth.

With our intraoral scanner, taking an impression is as simple as moving the device over your teeth. The scanner captures a highly-detailed, 3-D virtual model of your teeth that provides more accurate information than we can get with traditional impressions. We use digital impressions for all sorts of treatment planning, such as dental crowns, bridges, implants, veneers, and orthodontic treatment.

Cone beam CT scans give our dentists a three-dimensional image of your teeth, jawbone, and surrounding structures. 3-D cone beam scans provide invaluable information, including the relative position, size, and shape of teeth, nerves, and bones.

These images are essential to accurately diagnose dental conditions such as impacted wisdom teeth, TMJ disorders, and bone loss due to periodontal disease. This type of scan also helps with planning orthodontic treatment and precise dental implant placement for excellent outcomes. 

Panoramic x-rays are a type of dental imaging technology that captures a view of all your teeth, upper and lower jaws, and surrounding structures and tissue in a single image. This type of x-ray is invaluable because it reveals issues like impacted teeth, fractures, cysts, tumors, and bone abnormalities that might not be visible with a routine exam. 

Our dentists use panoramic x-rays to diagnose dental problems and develop treatment plans for orthodontics, dental implants, and oral surgery. Panoramic x-rays are non-invasive because you stand in front of the machine while an arm rotates around your head, capturing the image. For this reason, this type of x-ray is great for children, patients who have a strong gag reflex, or those who can’t tolerate x-rays taken inside the mouth.

Using digital records minimizes the time we spend shuffling paperwork and allows us to focus on you and your needs. All your information, from x-rays and intraoral photos to treatment plans, is stored safely on our secure in-house network. We can easily access anything we need at the touch of a button and share information electronically with other specialists or your insurance company as needed.