Dental Technology

X-ray technology is helpful in dental diagnosis and treatments because it allows us to look inside your teeth and jaws. By travelling through different tissues at different speeds, early x-rays created black-and-white images on a sheet of film. These internal views expose emerging problems before they can be seen during a visual examination. This enabled dentists to diagnose potential dental conditions, even though the images were rudimentary.

But modern, digital x-ray technology has improved the diagnostic process in numerous ways. Since the images are created digitally, we can eliminate the film and view your x-ray image on a computer display, where we can zoom in on specific details, share our views with team members and store them for future reference.

In addition to easy manipulation and storage, modern digital dental x-rays are also:

• Safer – digital x-rays use much less radiation than traditional versions and don’t use the chemicals necessary to develop x-rays on film
• More precise – the resolution of a digital x-ray is superior to the old-style imagery
• Efficient – digital x-rays are files on a computer, so we can make unlimited copies and send them worldwide via email. This power helps us send numerous images to specialists and insurers instantly.

Standard digital x-rays focus on specific areas of your teeth and provide a static image of those areas. Panoramic x-rays (also known as OPGs), on the other hand, offer a complete view of your teeth, jaw bone, joints, skull and other features. 

An OPG stands for orthopantomogram, a panoramic 2D dental X-ray that shows the dentist a broad view of the teeth, gum and jaws. An OPG only takes a few minutes to complete and requires the patient to hold still for approximately 20 seconds.

With this technology, we can zoom in and move around the areas where you may require treatment options. Among the uses of panoramic x-rays are:

• Visualisation of unerupted teeth (e.g. in children)
• Location and shape of wisdom teeth that have not erupted
• Oral surgery planning
• Dental implant placement locations
• Diagnosis of potential oral cancer
• Discovery of TMJ disorders or issues with your jaw joint

We can combine panoramic x-rays with other imaging techniques when performing a full smile makeover so we can treat your oral health condition in a genuinely holistic way.

At Peak Dental Care, we have an OPG machine on-site, which allows our dentists to access and evaluate your results immediately. 

When you need root canal therapy, it is vital that your treatment removes all infected inner tooth tissue because even a minuscule amount of bacteria remaining can reignite your inner tooth infection. If this happens, your root canal treatment may fail, and you could lose the tooth we worked so hard to save.

But by using rotary endodontics, we can effectively scour those thin root canal passages which reach deep into your jaw bone. This tool comprises a flexible tip that rotates as we apply it to your inner tooth. This motion helps scour damaged tissue from all areas. In addition, rotary endodontics may potentially make root canal therapy go faster and result in more permanent treatment outcomes.

When your dentist builds a new crown or other tooth replacement option, we need to create a 3-D model of your teeth so that your new restoration securely fits into your smile with the look you desire. In the past, we made these impressions with an alginate gel in a tray that you'd place in your mouth and bite down on. This semi-solid material hardens around your teeth and gums, resulting in a mould we can use to create your crown or other tooth replacement appliance.

The problem with alginate is that it's messy, difficult to work with and comes with a taste that most patients find disagreeable. These issues often impact the accuracy of dental impressions. But Dr Hanna's team has replaced this with a digital impression. Instead of using a physical medium, we scan your teeth with precision imaging equipment and feed that information into specialised software that can render a 3-D model.

These precision files are easily transmitted to our dental lab so they can complete your final restoration more rapidly and typically with greater accuracy.

Dental lasers are a breakthrough in providing several dental treatments with the goal of more precision and less discomfort than some traditional methods. Because we can use them to target certain areas, laser dentistry may result in less bleeding and more efficient healing because of how accurate the technique is in the hands of a dentist like Dr Hanna.

We use dental lasers in the following ways:

• Periodontal disease treatment, especially the removal of damaged gum tissue
• Elimination of bacteria on and around your gums and teeth
• Part of the smoothing procedure on gums is to eliminate pockets and areas where bacteria congregate

Our professional staff is trained in using dental lasers.

Traditional medical records were only kept on paper and could be lost or destroyed in several ways, from fires to floods and other calamities. Paper records are also expensive to store and difficult to share. Our dental team is happy to have eliminated these problems through the use of digital records.

We use software marketed as secure to keep your records, allowing for numerous advantages. A few of these are:

• Security of digital backups kept safe
• Records are encrypted for extra security
• We can share records instantly
• No paper copies are more environmentally responsible

At Peak Dental Care, we use televisions in our treatment rooms in several ways. First, we are happy to share the imagery produced by our digital x-rays on these monitors so you can see why we may recommend specific procedures. In cosmetic dental and smile makeover services, we can also show you how we may correct tooth flaws and show you projections of how treatments like Invisalign® clear aligners may change your smile.

Sometimes, we may also provide entertainment on these screens during treatments as a welcome distraction. So enjoy a favourite program while our team works on your teeth, and before you know it, our work will be complete.

Our CEREC milling machine uses computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) to fabricate dental crowns in our Blacktown clinic. This specialised equipment creates precise dental prostheses while you wait in your treatment room. With this technology, you can achieve better oral health and enjoy shorter treatment times.

Here's how it works:

1. We begin by taking digital impressions of your teeth.
2. Then, we use our advanced software system to design your dental crown.
3. Once the design is complete, the instructions are sent to the milling machine.
4. We add a ceramic block to the CEREC machine, which precisely shapes and carves your dental crown.
5. After it’s complete, we inspect the finished product before shaping and polishing it.
6. All that’s left is to place your new dental crown in your mouth.

Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is a revolutionary imaging technology that provides detailed, 3-D views of your teeth, bone structure and surrounding tissues. This advanced imaging helps us deliver precise and effective dental care, such as:

• Treatment Planning — CBCT offers detailed images that assist in planning complex procedures, such as dental implants, root canal treatments and orthodontics. It allows us to visualise the precise location of nerves, sinuses and bone structures.
• Accurate Diagnosis — The 3-D imaging capabilities of CBCT help us detect issues that may not be visible with traditional x-rays, such as hidden dental infections, bone loss or anomalies.
• Pre-Surgical Assessment — Before performing surgeries, CBCT helps us assess the bone quality and quantity.
• Enhanced Visualisation — CBCT provides a comprehensive view of the oral and maxillofacial structures, improving our ability to diagnose and plan treatments effectively.
• Patient Education — With CBCT images, we can clearly show patients their oral health issues and discuss treatment options in detail.

CBCT technology allows our team at Peak Dental Care to deliver care tailored to your unique needs. We are proud to share that we have a CBCT machine on-site, which allows us to scan and assess results immediately.