Advanced Technology and Comfort

Over the past two decades, dental technology has evolved at an astonishing rate, and that evolution shows no signs of slowing. Modern dental technology makes it possible for a full range of cosmetic, restorative, and general dentistry procedures to be performed more safely and with greater precision than ever possible.  Advanced technology allows for shorter healing times and more predictable outcomes.  Simply stated, today’s dental treatments are safer, faster, and more comfortable.

Dr. Jill Colson and Dr. Chad Colson regularly participate in advanced training courses, such as SPEAR Education, and are always evaluating the latest advanced dental technologies.  Before a new technology is introduced to the practice, it must satisfy several criteria.  It must enhance the patient experience, work more effectively and more efficiently, deliver a higher quality product, promote patient health, and be cost-effective.  We invite you to discover how comfortable and effective modern dentistry can be with advanced dental technology in the hands of caring, experienced professionals.

Precision Dentistry | CAD/CAM | Digital Impressions | Electric Drills | Digital Imaging | Laser Dentistry |  Wand® STA  Injection System | Intraoral Camera | Apple Software

Comfort

Our practice offers patients relaxing spa music, warm blankets, and essential oil aromatherapy to enhance comfort and relaxation during treatment.  We also offer disposable warm, scented towels for refreshment at the conclusion of treatment.

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Precision Dentistry

Our practice uses high power magnification (dental loupes) to enhance the precision of patient care.

Dentistry is micro-surgery. Utilizing magnification enables us to create dental restorations with an incredibly precise fit and finish. You just can’t fulfill that level of care with the naked eye.

In addition to allowing precise close-up work, our dental loupes project LED light directly onto the teeth, minimizing glare for you.

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CAD/CAM

Our computer aided design and computer aided milling software and hardware programs are available to fabricate crowns, bridges, occlusal guards and much more– in-house and often same-day.  Our machine is widely used in dental laboratories across the US and in over 90 countries worldwide.  We are one of the few dental practices that have this laboratory based product in a clinical setting.  The machine is the benchmark in terms of range of indications and materials.

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Digital Impressions

For the majority of our work, we are able to scan your teeth with a camera and make a digital impression.  No more mess, no more goop!

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Quiet Electric Drills

Many dentists use air-driven hand-pieces (the dental term for “drills”). While acceptable for many procedures, these “whiney sounding” air-powered hand pieces all have a degree of non-concentricity; they do not rotate perfectly smoothly.

For the most precise aspects of restorative procedures, we use electric hand-pieces. This results in extraordinarily precise interfaces between your tooth and your new restoration (crown, veneer, or filling). With a more precise tool, there is less vibration and less noise.

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Digital Imaging

Dr. Jill Colson and Dr. Chad Colson carefully choose which radiographs to take and when they are taken. There are many guidelines that we follow that determine how often we take radiographs. Generally speaking, we take routine radiographs on our patients once a year. Radiographs allow us to see everything we, as dental professionals, cannot see with our own eyes. Radiographs enable us to detect cavities in between your teeth, determine bone levels, and analyze the health of your bone. We can also examine the roots and nerves of teeth, diagnose lesions such as cysts or tumors, as well as assess damage when trauma occurs.

One of the tools in our arsenal of digital imaging is the Planmeca ProMax 3D. This machine offers 2D and 3D radiographs.  The 2D radiographs produce a larger field of view with a very low radiation dose to the patient.

The 3D imaging is a cone beam CT (CBCT) imaging device utilizing the unique Planmeca Ultra Low Dose™ imaging protocol, enabling CBCT imaging with an even lower effective patient dose than standard 2D panoramic imaging. This pioneering imaging protocol is based on intelligent 3D algorithms developed by Planmeca and offers a vast amount of detailed anatomical information at a very low patient dose.  The images eliminate the “guesswork” from two-dimensional radiographs, allowing Dr. Jill Colson and Dr. Chad Colson to easily diagnose issues with problem teeth as well as plan procedures like dental implants.

*Less radiation exposure. The images have up to 50% less radiation than traditional radiographs.

*Better patient acceptance. No sensor goes in the mouth so there are no issues with gagging or discomfort.

*Faster. The image on the right takes less than a minute, while the image on the left take 5-10 minutes.

*More diagnostic. There is a greater field of view.  You can’t diagnose any issues if you don’t see them.

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LASER DENTISTRY

Laser dentistry is one of dentistry’s latest advances. The laser delivers energy in the form of light. Depending on the intended result, this energy travels at different wavelengths and is absorbed by a “target.” In dentistry, these targets can be enamel, decay, or gum tissue.  Each one absorbs a different wavelength of light while reflecting others. Laser dentistry can be used for both tooth and soft tissue related procedures.  For soft tissue (surgical) procedures it eliminates the need for suturing and healing is much faster.

We use our diode laser to treat soft tissue problems such as gum disease and to perform minor surgical procedures. Because the diode laser is a precision instrument that emits pulses of energy too quickly to cause a neural response, the patient typically experiences minimal discomfort. It stops bleeding, seals lymphatic and nerve endings, and minimizes inflammation. Areas of dental care that benefit from laser technology:

• Periodontal or gum related care
• Apthous ulcer treatment (canker sore)
• Frenectomy (tongue-tie release) sutures
• Crown lengthening, gingivectomy and other gum corrections

Dental lasers have been shown to be safe and effective for treating both children and adults.

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The Wand STA All Injection System

The Wand® STA delivers a computer-regulated flow of anesthetic that provides immediate, pain-free dental anesthesia for all injection types. It makes injections easier! Our patients experience minimal-to-no discomfort because of the regulated flow of the anesthesia.  The Wand® features Single Tooth Anesthesia (STA), a new injection that effortlessly delivers anesthetic to the PDL space for profound anesthesia of a single tooth.

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Intraoral Camera

Dr. Jill Colson and Dr. Chad Colson utilize intraoral camera technology to help enhance your understanding of your diagnosis. An intraoral camera is a very small camera – in some cases, just a few millimeters long. This type of camera produces clear, precise images of your mouth, teeth and gums, allowing us to accurately make a diagnosis. With clear, defined, enlarged images, you see details that may be missed by standard mirror examinations. This can mean faster diagnosis with less chair-time for you!

Intra oral cameras also enable our practice to save your images in our office computer to provide a permanent record of treatments. These images can be printed for you, other specialists, and your lab or insurance companies.

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Apple Software

Our practice is proud to use Apple technology throughout our office.  We are a “paperless” practice and Apple provides us with the technology to better serve you through iPads, Apple TV and iMacs.