Canary Cavity Detection in Orlando
Did you know that tooth decay is the most prevalent chronic disease in both adults and children? Thankfully, it is largely preventable and due to technological advancements, the canary system can detect early tooth decay that X-rays can’t.
What is The Canary System?
This is a precise, low-powered, laser-based instrument. The Canary system uses an intraoral camera to detect cracks and caries that are too small to appear on dental X-rays. You can review the intraoral camera images immediately with your dentist. A patient report will also be generated for you along with your dentist’s treatment recommendations.
How Does the Canary System Work?
A low-powered, pulsating light is shone on the tooth’s surface during a three-second scan. The laser light pulses create photothermal and luminescence responses. The laser light can penetrate below the surface of your tooth using a laser pulse at a frequency of 2Hz. This can detect lesions that are as tiny as fifty microns and that are as deep as five millimeters from the tooth’s surface.
What’s Wrong With Traditional Diagnostic Technologies?
Well, they don’t work as well as they should…When a decayed area is quite small or is located below the tooth’s surface, traditional diagnostic technologies are ineffective. Your dentist ability to monitor and detect early signs of tooth decay is limited. The Canary system provides accurate detection of small lesions.
Traditional diagnostic technologies include:
X-Rays: X-rays can only detect caries that are on proximal surfaces when the lesion is half the thickness of your tooth enamel. Radiographs are unable to detect lesions on the tooth’s surface if the lesions are not large in size.
Visual inspection: Your dentist may examine the tooth surfaces for discoloration (white or brown spots), but can’t visually determine the cause of these surface changes.
Explorers and manual probing: Probing can cause harmful effects to your tooth’s structure. It can create pits and fissures where bacteria can grow and manifest inside.
What Does the Canary System Mean for Patients?
Essentially, the canary system allows dentists to identify your tooth decay that would have normally gone unnoticed using traditional diagnostic technologies.
The Canary system can prevent the need for costly and uncomfortable procedures used to treat large caries. Restorations are not a permanent solution and will require future replacement. In addition, caries can develop under sealants.
Since the canary system provides early detection, tooth decay can be potentially reversed or treated using remineralization therapies.
The Canary System allows your dentist to safely and comfortably:
Detect cracks and decay without the exposure of ionizing radiation from X-rays.
Detect small caries early on so that a filling is not necessary. Early on detection allows your dentist to treat caries using a small restoration.
Detect decay around or beneath the margins of old fillings or sealants. This will prevent the need for invasive or painful dental treatment, saving you time and money.
This evidence-based cavity detection system is safe to use on both adults and young children. For more information about the Canary System, speak with your dentist during your next dental cleaning.
