Have you ever been to the beach and watched the “entrepreneurial treasure hunters” with metal detectors? I have never participated in this activity, but assume people are looking for more than just quarters or silver dollars. I have heard stories that lost wedding rings have been found and sometimes things of even GREATER value.
But I digress….
Laser technology has come a long way. NOW, we can use lasers to do more than just cut, or destroy death stars. Lasers can now detect dental decay, in its earliest stages. This is beneficial, since restoring a tooth that is only missing a small fraction of structure is much more successful than when a large amount of tooth is broken. A small filling has a longer success pattern than large crowns. Laser cavity detection allows us to discover decay that is beyond our reach. Traditionally, dentists use a “pick” to detect decay. If the sharp end “sticks” then decay is present, however, decay must be large enough to GET the stick. Also, the morphology (or the shape) of teeth today is different than in days gone by. Due to many factors, including fluoridation of water and toothpastes, the grooves of teeth are much deeper and steeper than before. Decay can grow unabated and undetected until it is so large that root canal therapy may be the first treatment the tooth ever gets.
