Technology

As improvements in dentistry and endodontics have continued through the years, Dr. Mehta has evaluated the latest technological advancements and incorporated them into his practice to provide patients with the greatest benefits while minimizing any risks.

One of the primary improvements in endodontics is the clinical microscope. The American Association of Endodontics feels so strongly about the clinical microscope that currently, all endodontic teaching programs in the U.S. are required to include training on the microscope as part of their curriculum. Dr. Mehta was trained with and utilizes a Global Protégé Microscope, manufactured by the Global Surgical Corporation. This device provides such a high level of magnification that one can see internal aspects of a tooth that may otherwise go unnoticed.

Schick CDR Digital Radiography is another improvement which has significantly impacted the practice of endodontics, as well as dentistry in general. This technology allows us to take a radiograph (x-ray) and have an image in as little as 2 seconds. The image is digitized and viewable on a computer screen in the treatment room. This allows us to immediately evaluate the radiograph and share our findings with you. The overall diagnostic accuracy of CDR is comparable to a perfectly exposed and developed film. In addition, CDR also brings you benefits you don't get from film: up to 90% lower radiation.

The newest addition to the practice is the KODAK 9000 conebeam CT scanner. This gives Dr. Mehta an unprecedented three dimensional (3-D) view of the oral cavity and the root canal systems of teeth. This technology improves both endodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.

When used for preoperative assessment, CBCT imaging provides highly detailed information on the entire tooth structure, including the location and number of canals, pulp chamber size and degree of calcification, direction and curvature of root morphology, tooth and root fractures, inflammatory lesions and defects. Further, it can provide insight into root resorption, the effects of periradicular and periapical disease, as well as predict the potential for complications.

CBCT is an invaluable endodontic tool for use before, during, and after treatment. Once a treatment plan has been determined, CBCT can be used to ensure that metallic files placed into the root canal are the appropriate size and shape. It also offers a baseline for healing in the short and long term, which is of the utmost importance in monitoring treatment results, delays in healing, re-treatment, and surgical options.

One of the primary factors in successful endodontics is the ability to adequately clean and shape the entire root canal system - in effect, removing the source of infection. In order to achieve this result, Dr. Mehta has incorporated the use of a new product called MTAD. This very effective antibacterial agent is used to "wash" your tooth just before treatment is completed; research has shows that MTAD significantly reduces the infection by killing the bacteria which are present in the tooth. This product has been proving itself by reducing healing times and decreasing discomfort after treatment. The overall benefit is that we are able to more effectively clean your tooth!

In an effort to make your treatment time more enjoyable, we provide a wireless headphone set connected to our internet music server. Pick from any artist in the world and you will have streaming music during your treatment to make your experience more comfortable!

For our patients who are extremely apprehensive about receiving dental treatment, we have associated with a number of dental anesthesiologists. A dental anesthesiologist is a dentist who has completed at least two years of post-graduate training in anesthesiology. They are trained and licensed to administer medications ranging from light sedation to general anesthesia depending on your needs. While their services do add to the expense of any needed treatment, we have found this to be a wonderful alternative for anybody who is extremely nervous about having dental treatment, or anybody requiring multiple procedures during one visit, which would otherwise require multiple appointments.