Technology That Continues to Advance Dentistry
Lasers Laser technology is quickly becoming one of the more popular trends in dentistry. Laser instruments can perform a variety of treatments, including removing tumors, filling cavities, and eliminating bacteria, all without causing the patient any discomfort. many industries function, and they have the potential to change the dental field forever. Inlay, veneer, crown, and tooth replacement materials are currently being researched and developed to take advantage of this emerging technology. Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is used in the dental field to reduce the amount of time and energy Early humans likely only flossed to dislodge food from between their teeth. Flossing wouldn’t been seen as a necessary part of dental care until the early 1800s. Dr. Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist from NewOrleans, is credited with introducing modern dental floss. In his 1819 book, “A Practical Guide to the Management of Teeth,” Dr. Parmly recommended brushing twice a day and flossing once every day. Dental floss had yet to be invented, and Dr. Parmly encouraged his patients to clean between their teeth with waxed silken thread, a type of tailoring thread that was readily available. Manufacturers wouldn’t begin selling silk thread to be used as dental floss until 1882 when the Codman and Shurtleff Company began to mass produce unwaxed silk floss. In 1898, Johnson & Johnson patented dental floss and began to produce different waxed and unwaxed flosses. Silk would remain the most common type of 3D Printing 3D printers are revolutionizing the way
As technology advances each year, dental care becomes more efficient. These new methods of dentistry provide more comfortable treatments for patients and increased organization for doctors. Here are a few of the latest technological advances to hit the dental care industry. Emotional Dentistry Some people would rather do anything than go to the dentist. However, emotional dentistry is trying to change that by allowing people to feel more confident about dental treatment through Digital Smile Design. How it works is that dentists generate a virtual mockup of what the patient’s smile will look like after treatment. Seeing these images provokes an emotional response in patients that increases their self-confidence and motivates them to stick with their dental care plans. Why is it so difficult to convince patients to floss their teeth regularly? Most patients are pretty consistent when it comes to brushing twice a day, but ask them to floss just once and they dig their heels in. Don’t take it personally if your patients won’t take your flossing advice. Looking back at the history of dental floss, there’s a good chance that dentists have been having this struggle for a long time. At numerous prehistoric sites, archeologists have found small, sharpened sticks they believe early humans used for interdental cleaning. A number of ancient skeletons have been found with grooves worn in between their teeth, suggesting our ancient ancestors were using floss and toothpicks fairly regularly. Since waxed nylon wouldn’t come along for another fewmillennia, most anthropologists believe horsehair was used as the first dental floss.
dentists put into organizing data. Dentistry requires a lot of data collection, including the number of patients a dentist interacts with, patient reviews, appointment scheduling, and patient treatment. This data can be overwhelming for dentists to sort through by themselves. With the help of AI software that organizes data for them, dentists’ workloads are greatly reduced, processes become more efficient, and patient-dentist relationships grow stronger as a result. There are many areas in dentistry that will continue to improve as our technological knowledge advances. Oral health treatment has improved dramatically over the years, and the evolution of modern dentistry promises a brighter future for smiles everywhere.
200 Years of (Not) Flossing FROM HORSEHAIR TO NYLON
floss untilWorldWar II when the cost of silk skyrocketed. Around this time, a doctor named Charles Bass suggested replacing silk with
nylon. This is dental floss as most modern patients would recognize it. For his contributions to dentistry, today Dr. Bass is often referred to as the “father of preventive dentistry.” Flossing became more common after the war and by the 1970s, flossing was considered part of a person’s daily health routine in America and Canada. That said, according to the American Dental Association, only around 12 percent of Americans are flossing daily. It begs the question: If early humans were willing to floss with horsehair, how can we convince patients to use the free floss they get after each visit?
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