At Smiles by Mia, we are proud to provide our patients with customized care with the help state of the art technology. Our dentist office in Burke, VA uses digital diagnostic screening tools, cameras, dental lasers, 3-D printing, and even VR headsets to ensure our patients’ comfort while getting the care they need. Modern technology makes visiting the dentist a much more efficient and relaxing experience for all patients who visit our office.
Our Dental Technology in Burke, VA
We provide many different types of dental technology to help educate, treat, and diagnose our patients:
iTero
The iTero intraoral scanner uses optical and laser scanning to create a three-dimensional image of the smile. This scanner helps us see tooth movement, wear, and even changes in the gum tissue over time. iTero scanners can also work with milling machines to create dental crowns and predict orthodontic treatments, including Invisalign. We typically use iTero to determine how patients’ teeth move during Invisalign treatment.
Air Flow Polisher
This tool uses air and water pressure to clean patients’ smiles easily. The Airflow polish system makes abrasive cleaning much more efficient for our dental hygienists. Our hygienists polish and scale patients’ teeth using this system to remove debris and bacterial buildup from the smile.
VELscope
The VELscope is a screening tool to find signs of oral cancer. It illuminates the light with a bright green light. Any abnormal tissue in the mouth will appear dark. We examine the smile for oral cancer during routine visits.
SprintRay 3-D Printing
Our dental office uses 3-D printing to create dental molds, aligners, surgical guides, crowns, splints, and more. To create these resin models, we take digital scans of the teeth. These scans create a 3-D image of the top and bottom teeth. The SprintRay 3-D printing machine creates resin appliances from that computer image.
WaterLase iPlus
The WaterLase iPlus is an all-tissue laser that treats the soft and hard tissues of the mouth. We can aid in root canal treatment and periodontal therapy with the WaterLase iPlus. This laser uses water and heat to remove tissue or debris from the mouth precisely.
Laser technology has transformed dental care and enables dentists to provide more accurate, less invasive treatment for various dental health needs or concerns. Dr. Mia uses laser dentistry in a variety of ways to treat both hard and soft tissues for both cosmetic and oral health-related reasons.
The Waterlase iPlus can be utilized by Dr. Mia and our dental care team to address tooth decay, gum disease, and cosmetic concerns related to the appearance of the gums. Laser dentistry precludes the need for dental drills and other tools that can cause anxiety during treatment. Patients can often receive laser therapy without anesthesia, and post-treatment downtime is significantly reduced.
Benefits of Laser Dentistry with Waterlase
The Waterlase iPlus laser offers key benefits for patients. It can improve your experience in the dentist’s chair and your result.
- Accuracy: dental lasers can offer pinpoint accuracy when treating oral tissue, limiting the impact on surrounding tissue.
- Safety: dental lasers are both safe and hygienic. The laser energy will minimize bacteria by sterilizing the tissue being treated.
- Efficiency: with less bleeding and trauma, most patients will heal faster after laser treatment, especially when the soft tissues are being treated. Dr. Mia can often help patients avoid oral surgery with laser dentistry when addressing periodontal concerns.
Waterlase: how does it work?
The Waterlase iPlus dental laser combines laser energy, water, and air to create a directed stream that can penetrate hard and soft tissues. Dr. Mia can use the handheld laser to directly treat tooth enamel or gum tissue without damaging adjacent tissue. The laser is quiet and does not cause pain while treating the teeth or gums.
Our dental care team will clean the area to be treated before beginning your laser treatment. The laser is used chairside and will be directed at the tissue to be treated. The laser can gently remove decayed tooth enamel or infected gum tissue without discomfort, stimulating the natural healing process.
After treatment, most patients are able to resume their daily routine. Laser therapy produces less bleeding, swelling, and residual discomfort. Dr. Mia will discuss what to expect after laser therapy and provide any necessary aftercare or dietary restrictions.
Fotona Lightwalker
We use the Lightwalker laser to help patients with sleep apnea. During NightLase treatment, we focus the laser on the tissues in the back of the mouth. The dental laser heats and tightens the tissue, opening the airway. Patients with sleep apnea struggle to breathe during the night when these soft tissues block the airway. Used in conjunction with other sleep apnea treatments, the LightWalker can help patients get a full night of sleep.
Opera VR
This virtual reality system helps reduce patient anxiety. We simply place the VR headset around our patient’s head and select the video and audio. Opera VR helps distract patients from dental care as they are immersed in a calming nature scene. We use this technology for children and adults who may be anxious or fearful when visiting the dentist.
Kodak CS 1500 Camera
The Kodak CS 1500 camera is an intraoral imaging component. This small, handheld device allows us to see focused, real-time images of the teeth and gums. We use intraoral cameras to see the condition of patients’ teeth and show them to the patient while discussing their oral health problems. Intraoral cameras are an important aspect of patient education.
Call Us Today
Do you want to learn more about our office? Contact Smiles by Mia at (571) 789-1265 or request a dental consultation with us online.