People often get very anxious when they have a dental appointment. While powerful anesthetics prevent them from feeling pain, noisy dental equipment can still make them nervous. A Family Dentist in Kona can use an intra-oral camera to show patients what he is doing. This small camera is located on the end of a wand that easily reaches all areas of the patient’s mouth. It then feeds these images to a monitor that the patient can see. The dentist can point out a small cavity that needs filling. He can explain the process and the equipment that will be used. He can combine these images with the results of digital x-rays. This will show the patient what is happening within the tooth and under the gums.
When the patient hears the dental drill, he will know just where it is in his mouth and what it is doing. His Family Dentist in Kona will also explain that he will be using modern composite resin filling and not a silver amalgam filling. Older patients often think that a metal filling is stronger and more reliable than a resin filling. They are mistaken. The silver amalgam filling sits in the tooth and does not bond with the enamel. This leaves microscopic spaces between the tooth and filling, which allows bacteria to seep in underneath it. The silver amalgam also expands and can break the tooth. The resin filling bonds with the tooth enamel and becomes part of the tooth. This makes the tooth stronger for many years to come. Click here for more details.
Resin fillings can also be made to match the color of the tooth. This keeps the patient’s smile as bright as possible. When silver amalgam fillings are used on front teeth, they can create a gray shadow on the teeth. No teeth whitening treatment can bleach this away. When a Family Dentist in Kona replaces them with resin fillings, teeth will immediately look whiter and brighter. Carter S. Yokoyama D.D.S. is one of the dentists in Kona that uses an inter-oral camera and provides resin fillings. People can call his office to make an appointment.
