Utilizing the latest dental techniques and technologies is just one more way the dedicated Paul Sioda Dental team goes above and beyond to ensure our patients get the superior quality dentistry services they deserve. When we choose to incorporate a new dental technique or technology, we do so for one of three reasons – improved comfort, quality, or affordability of service. If you’d like to find out more about how dental technology is transforming your experience at our Tacoma, WA dentistry practice, contact our team today.

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Pain-Free Dentistry 

Going to the dentist really can be a relaxing, anxiety-free experience -- as long as you choose one who takes advantage of state-of-the-art technology. Thanks to Odyssey 3W Diode Laser, we are able to perform a number of procedures using a laser and water spray. It is a wonderful alternative to many traditional dental tools that may be associated with discomfort or unease, and in many cases it allows your dentist to ditch the shot and drill for comfortable, relaxing dental care. You’ll love it!

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Intraoral Photography

Many dental technologies don’t directly affect patient experience in a noticeable way, but intraoral photography may be the most impactful technology for patient care. Rather than describing or explaining what we see, intraoral photography allows us to show patients their smiles from our perspective. This means patients have a better understanding of the issue, they become more active partners in treatment planning, and patients feel more confident in the options they choose to repair or improve their smiles. These images are captured using a small, pen-like, camera that can easily be positioned within the mouth and provides clear images of patients’ dental structures.

 

Digital X-Rays

Digital panoramic photography has made it easy for our team to show patients the parts of their teeth above the gum line for better patient education and treatment planning, but what about the underlying dental structures? X-rays have been used for decades to give dentists and patients a better understanding of how the underlying supportive structures of teeth function, but they were difficult to capture, time consuming to develop, and were only viewable with a specialized light board. Digital x-rays are easier and safer to capture, exposing patients to significantly less radiation, and the high-definition images are immediately available on any computer for easy storage and transfer.

 

CT/Conebeam Scanner

Digital x-rays give our team a picture of how the underlying dental structures in specific sections of the smile are working, but for more advanced treatments, we need to see the whole picture and how teeth fit together. That’s where the CT/Conebeam scanner comes in. This system allows us to have a complete, panoramic image of the teeth and jaw and how they work together. More and more often, CT/Conebeam scans are being recommend as part of regular diagnostic care every three to five years, and in addition to this preventive maintenance, we may utilize these comprehensive images as part of the treatment planning process for Invisalign orthodontics, TMJ dysfunction therapy, and dental implant placement.

 

Endodontic Microscope 

Microscope makes details and fine structures clearly visible. It enables you to better visualize the regions of interest and consistently provide your patients with high-quality examinations and treatments.

The compact, high-performing, easy-to-use Microscope offers solid support for the most demanding applications – whether in restorative dentistry, endodontics, implantology or periodontics.
Highly ergonomic functions enable various users to conveniently adjust the focal length while maintaining their preferred working posture.

For a better view

Microscope with its apochromatic coatings makes details and fine structures clearly visible, enabling you to visualize high-contrast, true-color images.
With Microscope , optics and illumination go hand in hand.

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Soft Tissue Laser

Traditional soft tissue procedures were performed using a scalpel to remove damaged tissue and stitches to reattach. With this traditional method, healing and recovery could take several weeks, and patients would experience a significant amount of discomfort. We introduced the soft tissue laser to our practice in order to complete a number of treatments with less bleeding and discomfort during treatment, significantly reduced healing time, and more effective results. Some treatments we may perform using our diode laser are scaling and root planing and cosmetic gum recontouring. Laser dentistry allows us to precisely remove only those parts of gum tissue necessary while simultaneously cauterizing the treatment area.

 

Zoom Whitening by Philips Zoom

Philips Zoom, the No.1 patient-requested professional whitening brand*, is clinically proven to whiten teeth up to eight shades in 45 minutes**.With clinically superior results and efficacy versus other professional whitening alternatives, Zoom Whitening is one of the fastest ways to create brighter, healthier smiles that patients will want to show off. When combined with the pH booster in the whitening gel, its advanced blue LED light-activated technology greatly accelerates the whitening process, delivering dramatic results your patients will love in just one office visit.

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IV Sedation Monitoring Equipment

During the IV sedation procedure, monitoring devices are attached to the patient to complement clinical monitoring. These devices can monitor the effectiveness of breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, increasing the safety of the IV sedation procedure. The devices must be attached to the patient and switched on prior to the administration of any sedative so that the normal readings for the specific patient can be noted.

Oxygenation and pulse (Pulse oximetry). Oxygenation of the body is by far the most important function to monitor during IV sedation dentistry procedures. Oxygen levels in the blood are always monitored, with the use of a pulse oximeter. It is a non-invasive device (clips onto a finger or an earlobe) providing rapid and accurate recording of arterial oxygen saturation and pulse rate.

By using a pulse oximeter, both the respiratory and cardiovascular function are adequately monitored. The device can detect changes in oxygenation that may be not noticed by clinical observation, and provide early warning in case of respiratory depression. Oxygen saturation levels under 90% must be treated as potentially serious.

 Heart function. The use of electrocardiographic monitoring is not normally required, but it may be helpful in case of patients with cardiovascular problems or increased cardiac risk. Electrocardiographs are more likely to be used when sedation is performed in a hospital environment.

Blood pressure. Blood pressure is usually measured for reference before and then after the procedure. There is no need for continuous monitoring of blood pressure, unless there are medical reasons to do so.