Laser Cavity Detection

Laser Scanner Finds Ultra-Small Cavities Years Earlier
Have you been to the dentist only to find a cavity requiring a large filling that wasn’t there 6 months ago? Truth is, the decay had been present for months – even years – but it was too small to be detected by conventional x-ray systems. Crabapple Dental uses a new technology, the Diagnodent Laser Scanner to find super small cavities months or years earlier. Early detection allows the flexibility of invisible bonded fillings.

How does it work?
A laser diode provides pulsed light of a defined wave-length that is directed onto the tooth. When the light meets a change in tooth substance, it stimulates fluorescent light of a different wavelength. This is translated through the handpiece into an acoustic signal, and the wavelength is then evaluated by an appropriate electronic system in the KaVo Diagnodent control unit.

The advantages of this advanced diagnosis are:

• early decay can be detected
• safe, consistent use
• precise, reliable measurement that can monitor tooth areas
• healthy tooth structure is preserved