How Lasers Find Cavities Before They’re Obvious

The best way to handle dental issues like cavities is to avoid them altogether. In many cases, that simply requires a consistent routine of good hygiene and preventive care at your dentist’s office. Sometimes, though, a cavity might begin to develop despite your best efforts to prevent it, in which case early detection and treatment is the best way to stop the cavity in its tracks. At our office, we utilize an array of advanced dental technology to make your examination and diagnosis more precise, including laser cavity detection with the innovative DIAGNOdent™ diode laser.

How a Cavity Forms

Technically, a cavity can be more accurately described as a symptom; the hole in your tooth is caused by the spread of decay through your tooth’s structure. Tooth decay begins when oral bacteria and harmful substances like acids deplete your tooth enamel of essential minerals, making it weak until it develops a hole. When oral bacteria slip past compromised enamel, they infect your main tooth structure, leading to more significant tooth decay and an increasingly larger cavity.

How DIAGNOdent™ Can Tell

Technology like digital X-rays and intraoral cameras can help detect holes in your tooth enamel in their earliest stages, which makes treating your cavity easier. However, DIAGNOdent™ takes cavity detection a step further by highlighting compromised areas of your tooth enamel before they become obvious. Using a specially calibrated diode laser, DIAGNOdent™ measures wavelengths to determine if your tooth enamel has been compromised underneath a pit or groove, which an X-ray or visual examination may miss.

Learn More About Laser Cavity Detection

With DIAGNOdent™, you have a much greater chance at detecting a cavity early and treating it before it causes significant damage to your tooth. To learn more, schedule a dental consultation by calling Syosset Dental in Syosset, NY today at 516-433-2211 or 516-921-1678.