New Technology a Boon For Dental Patients

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Going to the dentist is becoming less painful all the time. Witness a dentist in Wichita Falls, Texas who's using cutting edge technology to make the whole cosmetic dentistry experience easier for his patients.

For patients needing a dental crown, Dr. Richard Guess DDS of the Maplewood Laser Dental Clinic has a machine that makes a dental impression using a series of photos. The pictures are e-mailed to a lab where the crown is made, making the whole process less messy for workers and faster for patients.

This digital-based technology is a vast improvement over the old way of taking a dental impression for crown that used a tray, mold that patients often gagged on and a string around the tooth pushed under the gums.

"Compared to the old tray impression method, the laser scan reduces the risk of any distortions. It's less time in the chair when we put a crown on because there are no adjustments. It's ready to go," said Dr. Guess. "It's important to keep up with the times and the new ways of thinking about old problems."

In addition to digital imaging for impressions, the clinic has also recently starting using a carbon dioxide laser to treat gum disease. Patients no longer need painful surgery or a long recovery. The state-of-the-art laser also allows Dr. Guess to perform additional in-office procedures such as biopsies, treating cold sores, removing burst blood vessels and getting rid of cold sensitivity.

"It's exciting (one were happiest) is when we're saving a patient time, causing them less pain and taking care of things we wouldn't have been able to treat before," said Dr. Guess who added that using the laser also eliminates any bleeding or scarring for the patient and even allows some procedures be done without anesthesia.

Despite the availability of this new technology, patients at the Maplewood Laser Dental Clinic always have the option of using the older methods of dental care with no difference in price.