Some recent advances in dentistry include the conversion to digital x-rays.

This has reduced the patient exposure to radiation and made production, storage, and transfer of dental x-rays faster, easier, safer, and better for the environment . Titanium dental implants can now replace diseased teeth and generally have a 5 y ear success rate over 95%. Improved instruments like microscopes and reciprocating handpieces (drills) now make it possible to complete some root canal procedures in a single appointment. Chairside CAD/CAM mills can now create finished crowns in a single appointment. Advanced techniques and drugs in local anesthetics and IV sedation make dental p rocedures more comfortable and safer for the patient. Use of special dental lasers and cameras make it possible to treat teeth and gum s more effectively. Some orthodontic treatment can now be completed without the use of traditional b ands and wires. Improvements in dental restorative materials (fillings) have made the use of ama lgam fillings almost unnecessary. Scientific knowledge of the relationship between dental health and overall healt h has improved. Advances in Dentistry offers Sleep Dentistry, Dental Implants, Snap-In Dentures, Smile Makeovers, Lumineers, Porcelain Veneers, Invisalign, Clear Correct teeth straightening, as well as all other aspects of dentistry from dental cleanings t o white fillings, crowns and bridges. 1) Adhesive Dentistry Contemporary term for dental restorations that involve "bonding" of composite re sin or porcelain fillings to natural teeth. 2) Air Abrasion Removal of tooth structure by blasting a tooth with air and abrasive, a relative ly new technology that may avoid the need for anesthetic. 3) Block Injection Anesthesia of a nerve trunk that covers a large area of the jaw; a mandibular bl ock injection produce numbness of the lower jaw, teeth, half the tongue. 4) Bonding Adhesive dental restoration technique; a tooth-colored composite resin to repair and/or change the color or shape of a tooth. A procedure to adhere tooth-colore d resin to the tooth's surface, creating a bond. The composite resin bonding pro cess is where a resin (similar to an enamel) is bonded to a tooth's surface, but then sculpted into shape, hardened, and polished. 5) Cavitron Dental tool that uses high frequency ultrasonic waves to clean teeth. 6) Composite Resin Material composed of plastic with small glass or ceramic particles; usually cure d with filtered light or chemical catalyst.

7) Cosmetic Dentistry Treatments performed to enhance appearance. 8) Cosmetic Contouring A McMinnville Cosmetic dentist will sculpt and reshape the natural teeth to make them straighter. 9) Dental Implant A (usually) titanium cylinder surgically placed in the bone of the upper or lowe r jaw to provide support for a dental restoration or appliance. 10) Intraoral Camera A small video camera used to view and magnify oral conditions; images may be printed by your McMinnville cosmetic dentist. 11) Laughing Gas Nitrous oxide; odorless inhalation agent that produces relative analgesic (sedat ion); reduces anxiety and creates a state of relaxation. 12) Porcelain Fused to Metal (PFM) Crown Restoration with metal coping (for strength) covered by porcelain (for appearanc e). 13) Porcelain Inlay or Onlay Tooth-colored restoration made of porcelain, cemented or bonded in place. 14) Sealants Thin resin material bonded in the pits and fissures of back teeth for the preven tion of decay. Sealants are used almost exclusively on the biting surfaces of po sterior, or back, teeth. These areas are especially vulnerable to cavities becau se these teeth see the bulk of chewing duty, and their surfaces are so irregular . They are usually covered with pits, fissures, indentations, and small cracks w hich tend to retain food and conceal plaque deposits. 15) Veneer Plastic or porcelain facing bonded directly to a tooth to improve its appearance . Porcelain or composite very-thin, special laminates bonded to teeth. Typically , Veneers are used for repairing chipped, cracked, or worn teeth.