CEREC® One-Visit Restorations
GALILEOS® 3-D Cone Beam CT Imaging
Laser Dentistry
Isolite™ System
Intraoral Camera
Dental Magnification Loupes
Digital X-Rays
Digital Photography
CEREC One-Visit Restorations
We are proud to offer our patients one-visit porcelain restorations with the CEREC 3D system. Traditionally, it takes at least two visits to place porcelain restorations: one to prepare the tooth and make an impression for fabrication at a dental laboratory, and a second to place the restoration on the tooth. However, with the state-of-the-art CEREC 3D system, Dr. Fulbright can make and place your porcelain restorations, including dental crowns, inlays and onlays, in just one office visit. Dr. Fulbright uses the CEREC machine to make a digital impression of the prepared tooth. Then, the machine uses this digital image to mill the restoration to exact specifications so that it fits the prepared tooth perfectly. The entire process takes only one office visit!
Contact the practice of Michael Fulbright, D.D.S., to learn more about CEREC and how it can help make restoring your smile more convenient.
One of the most important first steps in the dental care and treatment process is to take an x-ray image of your teeth and gums. This allows Dr. Fulbright to get a good look at any problems that may be occurring, and also helps him plan your overall treatment. The GALILEOS ComfortPLUS 3-D Imaging system offers incredibly detailed and precise images of your oral structures, allowing our dentist to plan treatments such as root canal therapy and dental implants with greater accuracy than ever before. The GALILEOS is particularly beneficial in its ability to produce an intricate surgical guide for dental implants, increasing the chances that results will both look and feel as natural as possible.
Laser Dentistry
Many procedures and treatments can be made more comfortable, convenient, and effective through laser dentistry. At our practice near Torrance, we use several types of lasers in both diagnostic and cosmetic procedures. We can typically utilize laser techniques for any routine dental hygiene (teeth cleaning) procedure. Laser treatments are revolutionary leaps forward in dental care, helping to disinfect, seal, and sterilize the gums in a more comfortable way. Laser therapies can also help you heal much faster while reducing inflammation, bleeding, and swelling.
DIAGNODENT®
It can sometimes be difficult to diagnose cavities, especially when they hide in the crevices of the back teeth. We use the DIAGNOdent® system – a diagnostic laser dentistry tool which allows us to find tiny areas of decay and treat them early before they develop into larger problems. The DIAGNOdent system scans the teeth with a harmless laser light and is able to find small areas of decay that can’t be seen with the naked eye or on an x-ray. We use the DIAGNOdent system during regular oral examinations so that we can ensure that potential problems are caught and treated early.
SOFT TISSUE LASER
Procedures that involve the gums can be made more precise and less invasive through laser dentistry. At our Torrance-area practice, we use a soft tissue laser which is designed to be used to treat periodontal disease, as well as to re-contour the gums. During periodontal treatment, we can precisely treat the infected gum tissues while leaving healthy tissue unaffected. The laser also allows for precise gum re-contouring to balance uneven gums and remove excess gum tissue to reduce the appearance of an overly gummy smile. With the laser, there is little or no need for anesthesia or sutures, and discomfort is minimized.
The Isolite System helps you relax and makes your visits more convenient, comfortable, and efficient. You wear the Isolite™ dental mouthpiece during treatments to help you relax your jaw and keep your tongue out of the way, while keeping your throat clear of debris. The system also features a special lighting system and a suction element which eliminates the need for cotton.
Intraoral Camera
Our intraoral camera allows our patients to view what our dentists see during examinations. This tiny camera fits into the patient’s mouth and takes digital photographs of the teeth and gums. The intraoral camera helps our dentists explain dental problems, such as decay and gum disease, so that our patients can make informed decisions about their dental care.
Dental Magnification Loupes
To help our dentists see the small details, we utilize dental magnification loupes during procedures and examinations. Not only do they help us to catch potential problems before they are noticeable to the naked eye, they also help us perform procedures and treatments with extreme precision. We also use magnification loupes during laser dentistry to help make procedures precise, allowing treatments to be as conservative as possible.
Digital X-Rays
X-rays are an extremely important diagnostic tool because they show a true picture of your dental health, alerting the dentist to any hidden problems that cannot be seen with the naked eye. At our practice, we take digital x-rays which produce 90 percent less radiation than traditional x-rays. The system produces a high-quality digital image which is immediately transferred to a computer screen, so there is virtually no wait to see the results. In addition, digital x-rays can be stored in our computer system and can be transferred to specialists quickly and easily if needed.
Digital Photography
In addition to digital x-rays, we also take digital photographs during examinations. Digital photographs help communicate details to the dental laboratory for the creation of restorations, and even show you how your smile might look after undergoing restorative or cosmetic dentistry procedures. Dr. Michael Fulbright currently uses a Canon digital camera with a 100 mm macro lens for detailed close up images, and a Canon ring flash. The digital photographs that are created with this setup are extremely detailed and allow you to see your teeth and gums like never before in a PowerPoint presentation at every consultation.
There are many ways that advanced dental technologies help to make your experience with us as comfortable, convenient, and effective as possible. Contact the practice of Michael Fulbright, D.D.S., to learn more about sedation dentistry, laser dentistry, and other technologies at our practice.