You will most likely make it through your life without ever knowing someone who enjoys going to the dentist. From our earliest memories, we remember the awkwardness, the pain, the too hotness, the too coldness, and the numbness of our dental experiences.
But, at least in the past decade or so, dental technology has been getting better, equipment has been getting smarter, and dentists have been improving their techniques to make the whole endeavor more palatable. Consider dental cameras, sonic toothbrushes, better fluoride buffers, new substances for fillings, and less conspicuous braces all as things that are helping the dentistry business out.
Dental Cameras
If you want to know what the inside of your mouth looks like, there’s the classic x-rays that your dentist is going to take, and then there’s the newer dental camera technology that provides a more in-depth idea of what’s going on in there. If you dentist chooses to use these dental cameras, there’s another layer of diagnosis that’s possible. Plus, the awkwardness that comes from all of those pieces of paper in your mouth while more x-rays get taken is alleviated with this more technical method of discovery.
Sonic Toothbrushes
Since the advent of sonic toothbrushes, dentists have had to do significantly less cleaning work on people who use them properly. Sonic technology lets people clean underneath their gums like never before, and many of the tooth and gum diseases that were so prevalent in the past and now preventable with just the modest purchase of a sonic toothbrush. Many dentists will even have specific recommendations for you the next time you go and get a cleaning.
Better Fluoride Buffers
At the end of your typical dentist trip, there’s going to be the awful fluoride buffing process. However, with new fluoride and better buffers, the process is far less painful, and some of the flavors that they’ve come up with also prevent the desire to spit and drool all over the place trying to keep it all away from your tastebuds.
New Substances for Fillings
And at various stages in history, the substances used for fillings have been less than ideal. With modern fillings, though, you don’t have to worry about them looking like black specks in the back of your mouth, don’t have to worry about them falling out, and don’t have to worry about them pinging you when you eat chocolate or ice cream.
Less Conspicuous Braces
And finally, dentistry and huge braces for your teeth were coupled until relatively recently, when products like invisalign or at least less conspicuous braces have become the norm. Teenagers these days are lucky compared to those who survived days of the gigantic metal chompers!
Photo credit: Nom & Malc / Flickr
