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SALT LAKE CITY — Some dentists are starting to use technology that gives them an early forecast of cavities. They say it can save patients time, money and pain.
Dr. Christopher Young is using the fairly new tool called Spectra in his dental exams. It gives dentists and patients a clearer picture of how bacteria are hurting teeth.
“Bacteria, when it gets in the tooth, we have no idea what direction it’s going to begin to eat away your tooth,” Young said.
Spectra spots bacteria and cavities that can get missed by a dentist's eye, an explorer tool, or even X-rays. It’s a camera of sorts, packed into a wand. It sends a beam of fluorescent light to the tooth. Any cavity-causing bacteria on the tooth will reflect that light, in different colors.
Orange or red signifies bigger problems.
“That’s telling us that’s a significant cavity and that’s going deeper into your tooth,” Young explained.
The imaging software also assigns numbers to areas of tooth decay. Young said 1.3 shows the tooth's enamel is starting to get soft.
Take care of this when it's small. Fix it when it's less expensive. It's preventing future problems down the line for my patients.
–Dr. Christopher Young, DDS
“Sometimes we can use fluoride and other topical gels that will sometimes remineralize that tooth,” he said.
A 1.9 means the bacteria has already penetrated the tooth's enamel and will spread quickly.
For patient Andrea Fajardo, that means she might need more intense restorative work on that tooth.
“It tells me I have to work on some things, but it’s great they’re able to detect it earlier. It saves me time, money and pain,” she said.
Young said that's the beauty of Spectra. By detecting a cavity early enough, a dentist might not even need a drill to fix it. And patients could avoid larger, more expensive fillings as well as root canals, crowns or implants that can cost thousands of dollars.
“Take care of this when it’s small. Fix it when it’s less expensive. It’s preventing future problems down the line for my patients,” Young said.
