This week was an amazing week at Asheville Dental Care. We received some advanced training on implants and the use of our new 3D cone beam x-ray machine, and were able to care for a patient for whom this new technology made an important difference.

First, the Division Leader for the East Coast Region of Sirona Dental, made a special trip to our office and spent the day doing hands-on, personal training with each member of our team. We spent hours learning the incredible capability of our 3-D Cone Beam x-ray machine and just how advanced and superior this technology is in terms of providing exceptional patient care.

In addition, to learning the conventional capabilities of this new machine, we received specific training on advancements in implant dentistry. We studied a technique that would allow us to literally plan and design an implant at the same time we identify a patient is going to lose a tooth.  Now, because of this new technology, before we extract the tooth, we can literally take an x-ray, with our 3D imagining machine, and then integrate that with pictures of the patient’s tooth and our CEREC machine.

Combining these two revolutionary technologies means that a few days later, when we actually extract the patient’s tooth, we can place the implant and the crown or temporary crown immediately. This means our patients leave our office with a tooth in place, and they do not have to experience the discomfort or embarrassment of having a missing tooth.

The 3-D Cone Beam x-ray machine provides us with so much more information and knowledge than conventional x-ray machines. This knowledge means we can design a much better dental implant and, the placing of each implant becomes a much more precise and easy process.

This same week, a new patient walked through our doors that happened to be the perfect candidate for this new technology. He was complaining of pain in his upper front tooth, so we took a 3D image of the tooth.  And, from this x-ray, we could easily determine that the root of the tooth was broken in half. Ironically, the patient had previously gone to a dentist, who had x-rayed the tooth using conventional technology that did not detect the fracture in the root. We were then able to use that same cone beam image to create a surgical guide, a map so to speak, that would allow us to see just how to design and where best to place the implant.  In a few days, when we extract his tooth, because of this new technology, we will be able to place his implant and a temporary crown immediately, and the patient will be able to walk out of our office, the same day, with a beautiful smile.

Yes, it was an amazing week at Asheville Dental Care. This is a very exciting time to be in dentistry!

Dental implants have been around for years. In the past, traditional dental implants, while a decent solution, have often been a difficult process for patients due to older technologies and procedures that made implants time intensive, costly and often a painful experience. Thanks to innovative new technology, Asheville Dental Care can create a much different patient experience and a far superior result.

The new science of dental implants has radically changed how Dr. Powell and Asheville Dental care are able to place implants and how affordable they have become. Traditionally, to place an implant the dentist had to cut away the patient’s gum tissue to see where to best place the implant. This was a painful process for the patient, and still did not guarantee the dentist a strong result.

Now, with recent advancements in Cone Beam Scanning technology it is possible for the dentist to literally see through the bone in 3D. This new scanning technology allows the dentist to literally design the implant to fit the patient’s unique needs according to the amount of bone they have and the desired result.

This new technology greatly minimizes the patients risk, maximizes their result and improves their experience by:

Reducing Failure – This new technology helps the dentist understand and determine the exact size, length, and width of dental implant the patient needs. The 3D technology gives the patient and the dentist the information they need to ensure the implant will fit and work before the implant is ever placed.

Improving Appearance – Because the 3D Scanning Device allows you to see, ahead of time, where the implant will be placed and how it will look, it gives both the dentist and the patient the peace of mind that the implant will look and feel natural. It guarantees a near perfect result for patients.

Enhancing Patient Experience - Most importantly, it greatly enhances the patient experience. What used to take up to a year can now literally be done in one or sometimes two visits. The 3D Scanning device, allows the implant to be placed with no more than a tiny hole made through the gum. There is far less cutting and manipulation than with traditional implants. With less cutting, there is far less trauma and therefore less recovery and much less pain for the patient.

New technology and advanced procedures has changed the face of dentistry and dental implants. Asheville Dental Care invites you to call our office to learn more.

Have you read this month’s issue of Women’s Health Magazine? If you’re interested in how your smile can keep you looking young and healthy, then make sure you grab a copy.  They’ve featured a great article on how critical a strong, beautiful smile is to keeping you looking young and healthy.  According to Women’s Health, the first thing you notice about someone is their smile, and how well you care for yours may very well conceal or give away your age.

The article highlighted the most common age related issues are Shifting Teeth, Discolored Teeth, and Receding Gums. Sound overwhelming? Well, read on to discover more about these issues and more importantly how to fix them.

Shifting Teeth – Chewing, clenching, years of dental work are just some of the reasons teeth shift as we age.  While, good home care can help prevent the need for invasive dental work, and wearing a night guard can keep you from grinding your teeth, the truth is for most of us our teeth will shift as we age. Luckily you can fix it; with new techniques such as Six Months Smiles (braces for adults) teeth can be straightened at half the cost and in half the time of traditional braces. Nature may shift our teeth, but Asheville Dental Care can straighten them.   Click here for more information on Six Months Smiles.

Discolored Teeth – Drinking coffee, colored sodas and juices, smoking and just the thinning of enamel can all lead to tooth discoloration as we age. Regular brushing, flossing and limiting drinks such as coffee and red wine can help keep our smiles bright and white. However, to truly keep your smile looking young and healthy, you should talk to your dentist about whitening. Professional whitening procedures have made whitening simple and fairly inexpensive to use.  Just a little effort on your part, and you’re smile will be sparkly white again.  Click here for more info on whitening options.

Receding Gums – Nothing makes you look older or your smile less healthy than receding gums. Years of brushing too hard, not flossing and letting plaque buildup comes at a cost that makes your smile look old and tired. Talking with your dentist about how to brush properly, floss regularly and adopting a strong home dental routine can do a lot to restore your gums and teeth to a healthy look. In addition, you will be doing your heart and cardiovascular system a world of good, as unhealthy gums can lead to an unhealthy you.  Make sure when you visit the Asheville Dental Care you ask Dr. Powell about your gums and follow their recommendations. While discolored and shifting teeth may make you look old, receding gums can impact more than your looks.

Unlike so many issues associated with aging, dental issues are ones that can for the most part be fixed. All of these issues, while they are a sign of aging and dental neglect, are all issues that can be treated, corrected, and with a little effort on the part of both you and your dentist you can easily turn back the hands of time.