It’s important to catch cavities at an early stage to reduce the amount of pain and dental work required later. Dr. Richard Kobak, a cosmetic and restorative dentist in Long Island, NY, uses the DIAGNOdent laser treatment to find tooth decay in its earliest stages.
What is DIAGNOdent?
The DIAGNOdent laser is used to inspect the surface of your teeth with great precision. First, Dr. Kobak will take benchmark reading from one of your healthiest teeth. He’ll then move the light from tooth to tooth to get a value between one and 100. If the laser finds a surface that reads differently than the healthy standard value, it will show the value on a screen. The level of enamel density corresponds to a number, so a higher number indicates softer tissue, which indicates demineralization (pre-decay) or a cavity. A beep occurs when the wand finds a potential problem area.
In addition to the classic system, the DIAGNOdent is also available as a mobile pen to detect a precise location.
How does the DIAGNOdent help me?
The tool can identify the smallest amount demineralization or of tooth decay. Found early, treatments will be simpler and minimally invasive. Fillings will be shallower, which means more of the tooth is preserved. Solving the problem and re-mineralizing the tooth at the start will also prevent the decay from spreading to other teeth, and eliminate the need for more serious restorative dental work like crowns, root canals, or extractions.
The DIAGNOdent is also accurate. Many cavities cannot be detected early enough on an x-ray. Dr. Kobak also won’t have to poke around your mouth at suspected areas. He will have an exact reading of the warning spots. Decay can also hide in grooves and gaps that are hard to examine. The laser device can detect those areas.
Using the DIAGNOdent system, we can examine your teeth accurately and thus offer very conservative dentistry. Contact Syosset Dental office in Syosset, NY, at 516-433-2211 to schedule your appointment and DIAGNOdent screening.
