A visit to your modern Raleigh dentist in the year 2017 is much different than one in, say, the year 1977, 40 years ago. And that’s a very good thing! As in many other branches of the medical field, there have been huge amounts of research into various treatments and procedures that have made them more effective, less time-consuming, and less costly for patients. Your dentist in Raleigh, NC has access to many tools that didn’t exist back then, and with the help of a thorough education in dentistry, he can use those tools to restore the oral health of his patients with minimal interruption to their daily lives. Here are just a few of the dramatic improvements in dentistry that have taken place over the past years.
BETTER-LOOKING COSMETIC DENTISTRY
In the past, having your Raleigh dentist install a crown meant that your smile would always be unusual from that point forward. Dentist generally used metal crowns built from silver or an amalgam of different metals, since those were the best materials available from the standpoints of durability and comfort. However, those shiny metal crowns did not exactly blend in with the rest of the teeth! A gold or silver tooth was better than a gap between teeth, which exposes the mouth to all sorts of infection, gum diseases, and misalignment issues, but patients would always have to deal with that unintentional startled look on the part of people who saw them flash a big smile for the first time.
Today, scientists have developed porcelain and ceramic crowns that are just as long-lasting and comfortable as metal crowns, and best of all, they look exactly like real teeth. It’s even possible for the expert cosmetic dentist in Raleigh, NC to precisely match the new crown to the color of the surrounding teeth so that it blends in perfectly. If you’ve ever wondered why so few people seem to get crowns any more, that’s a good example of just how lifelike modern crowns are when properly designed and installed—you don’t even notice that they are not natural teeth!
LESS PAINFUL PROCEDURES
A root canal used to be such a long, painful procedure that people started using it as a point of comparison for all sorts of other unpleasant experiences. For instance, “I’d rather have a root canal than visit the in-laws for Thanksgiving again!” We are totally understanding that people are still wary of the reputation of this procedure, but the modern root canal bears little resemblance to its ancestor, at least from the perspective of the patient sitting in the chair.The major factor in the transformation of the root canal procedure was the development of rotary endodontics. While the tool used in this process operates on the same principles as the steel file that dentists used to use to hollow out an infected root canal, the new tool is much easier on the patient. Part of the reason, although it may seem odd to someone who’s never undergone a root canal procedure, is that the rotary tool is very quiet; the signature “dentist drill” sound is eliminated. This fact alone puts many patients more at ease!
The more critical factor is that the rotary tool uses a flexible tip made from a special combination of metals. The composition and shape of this tip are perfectly engineered for cleaning out a root canal as smoothly, comfortably, and quickly as possible. If this tool had been available 40 years ago, maybe the root canal procedure would never have gained such a poor reputation!
Things get even better for patients looking for a dentist in Raleigh, NC to perform their root canal procedure. Dr. Eric Ladimer is a specialist in performing root canal procedures, and with the support of his team at New Hope Dental Care, he regularly surprises his patients with a level of speed and comfort that they never expected with a root canal.
Those are just two of the big improvements in dentistry that have taken place over the past years and decades. You can reap the benefits of these and many other advances when you make an appointment with Dr. Ladimer and his expert, friendly staff here at New Hope Dental Care.