Dental Technology

Call today to schedule an appointment or with any questions: Fairfax Office Phone Number Fairfax Office Phone Number 703-884-2414“>☎ Fairfax Office Phone Number 703-884-2414

Premier Smiles uses state-of-the-art dental technology.

DIGITAL X-RAYS

Digital radiography is an essential diagnostic tool at Premier Smiles.   Also referred to as digital X-rays, digital radiography is cutting edge dental technology that helps our skilled dental team detect and diagnose dental problems more quickly and accurately than ever before. Digital X-rays use nearly 80% less radiation than traditional film X-rays and are completely safe to use. Digital X-rays provide high-resolution, expandable images; these images are also immediately available on our computer screens so we can help you understand not only what treatments we want to offer, but why we feel they are necessary. We want you to feel confident with your dental care!

Digital X-rays play an important role in the diagnosis of decay and failing crowns and fillings, the correct placement of dental implants, and the proper treatment of teeth requiring root canals. Digital X-rays can also help with evaluation of the upper and lower jaws, the sinuses, and the temporomandibular joints. The goal of digital X-rays at our dental office is to help us get a full vision of your smile so we can provide all of the treatments you and your family need.  We welcome you to call our dental office to learn more about how we use digital X-rays to improve your dental treatment.

INTRAORAL CAMERAS

An intraoral camera is a tiny video camera that looks like a pen. Dr. Choi, Dr. Choi and staff will use this tiny, sterilized device to capture detailed images of the inside of your mouth. He will then show you the images so you can see exactly what he sees, as well as have a better understanding of the health of your teeth and gums.  This state-of-the-art technology also enables Drs. Choi and Choi to maintain the most up-to-date records of your treatment.

Intraoral cameras are painless and allow patients to see problems with their teeth and/or gums including, but not limited to, tarnished or corroded fillings, fractured teeth, tooth decay, and bleeding gums and plaque. With this cutting edge technology at their fingertips, Drs. Choi, Choi and the patient are able to work together to determine the right treatment plan to restore their mouth to optimal health. 

THE WAND® STA (SINGLE TOOTH ANESTHESIA)

The Wand® STA is a computerized anesthesia delivery system.  It provides a painless, stress-free alternative to dental anesthesia via syringe by delivering a computer-regulated flow of anesthesic that provides immediate, pain-free dental anesthesia for all injection types. Patients will experience no pain or numbing of the lips, tongue, and teeth as with traditional anesthesia.  The handpiece (“needle”) is much smaller than the dental needles patients are used to seeing, making it non-threatening to patients.  In fact, it looks more like a pen or a “wand” with a tiny needle at the end of it. 

Many patients experience anxiety about visiting the dentist because of the needles used to deliver oral anesthesia. If you fall into this category, fear no more! With our new computerized anesthesia delivery system at Premier Smiles, you no longer need to be nervous about receiving anesthesia.  For more information on The Wand® STA, please call our dental office today. 

SOFT TISSUE LASER

The diode laser represents the latest advance in laser technology. It is a surgical instrument that is reliable, portable, and powerful. It provides quick, precise soft–tissue surgeries with minimal or no bleeding, swelling, or post–operative pain. It has a broad range of applications, which includes tissue retraction during restorative procedures, gum reshaping (gingivectomy/gingivoplasty), crown–lengthening, muscle attachment removal (frenectomy), bacterial decontamination, and removal of diseased epithelial lining during periodontal treatments.

Here are some of the major benefits associated with laser dentistry:

• Procedures performed using soft tissue dental lasers may not require sutures (stitches).
• Certain laser dentistry procedures do not require anesthesia.
• Laser dentistry minimizes bleeding because the high-energy light beam aids in the clotting (coagulation) of exposed blood vessels, thus inhibiting blood loss.
• Bacterial infections are minimized because the high-energy beam sterilizes the area being worked on.
• Damage to surrounding tissue is minimized.
• Wounds heal faster and tissues can be regenerated.

VELSCOPE^® Vx

The VELscope^® Vx system is a state-of-the-art assessment tool used as an adjunctive device, which means it must be used together with and as a supplement to the traditional intra and extra oral head and neck exam.  This device emits a harmless, bright blue light which is used to inspect the mouth and tongue. The device is extremely sensitive to abnormal tissue changes and the distinctive blue-spectrum light causes the soft tissue (oral mucosa) of the mouth to naturally fluoresce, and thus, can help detect abnormal oral tissue such as potential cancerous or pre-cancerous tissues that are not apparent or sometimes not even visible with the naked eye alone. Exams can be more thorough and any suspicious areas can be quickly investigated for confirmation of oral disease.

Its use in everyday practice can provide timely information to Drs. Choi and Choi to enable earlier detection of abnormal tissues and provide better outcomes for patients.  The statistics are highly favorable: when discovered early, the five-year survival rate for oral cancer patients is about 83%. Unfortunately, most cases of oral cancer are discovered in late stages, when the five-year survival rate drops to around 50%.  Call Premier Smiles today to request an oral cancer exam with the VELscope^® Vx system.

Please call our practice to schedule your consultation: Fairfax Office Phone Number Fairfax Office Phone Number 703-884-2414“>☎ Fairfax Office Phone Number 703-884-2414