Technology in Our Office

As new technology is developed, I will evaluate it!

I am also careful to explore whether it is right for my patients. I will not discard the proven technology for the "latest" "hot" fad, until I am convinced that the new materials/technology is superior to what I know works well, is predictable and safe.

Full Commitment to Infection Control for Safe Care

For example, I designed the office in 1988 with Fully Autoclavable (Sterilizable) Handpieces. I made a commitment to making Infection Control a Number One priority.

Computerization to Improve Patient Care

I started with computers in the 10th grade at Stuyvesant H.S. in 1966. I worked my way through Brooklyn College as the evening computer operator and helped to pay for dental school doing computerization of dental research. When the PC's came out, I started using dBase II for tracking my patients and research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. When our billing clerk left the hospital, I revamped the dental billing system with Suzy Dental in 1984. We utilized the latest generation of that software as the cornerstone of our office's dental computerization.

For more details on Computerization of my Office, click here.

Computerized Digital Radiography

I took several Continuing Education courses in Computerized Dental Radiography before choosing the current system from Schick. I waited until many of the problems were resolved, and have received several upgrades, improving the software several times and replacing the sensors for improved image quality.

For more details on Computerized Digital Radiography, click here.

T-Scan® II: The Occlusal Analysis Solution

We have added the T-Scan III to our High Technology equipment to allow us to better analyze and adjust our patient’s bites when we detect or suspect problems! The degree of sophistication is unbelievable since we can now record in realtime the teeth contacts in 3-dimensions as you bite down and slide your teeth to the side or to the front. We can then review the data looking at each contact every 0.01 seconds of the 3 to 10 seconds recording. The T-Scan is a grid-based sensor technology and occlusal analysis system that allows for an easier, more accurate way to measure occlusal timing and force.

For more details on T-Scan® II, click here.

Caesy DVD and Enterprise Patient Education

There are networked Caesy Enterprise setups in the waiting room and the operatories to allow you to view professional, narrated, informational video and slide shows on 112 topics in dentistry.

For more details on Caesy Patient Education, click here.

 Experience a new level of comfort with the Isolite system that allows us to have you relax and close gently on the soft clear rubber bite block, that has built-in fiber-optic light to illuminate the oral cavity (so we can see things as never before ) and suction to handle all of the oral fluids was sell as the water and tooth/filling debris created during the dental treatment.

Illuminate ISOLITE delivers crystal bright, 360 ° , shadowless illumination of the oral cavity. Unlike conventional overhead lighting, ISOLITE broadcasts light from inside the patient's mouth - delivering a high intensity, bright-white, fiber optic light. Isolate ISOLITE provides total dry field isolation with higher patient comfort. The mouthpiece, with its built-in bite block, provides tongue and cheek protection, which eliminates the need for cotton rolls, dri angles or a rubber dam. Aspirate ISOLITE provides continuous elimination of debris and oral fluids. ISOLITE fully integrates aspiration with a 6-foot vacuum tube. The tube quickly attaches to your chairside, high-speed evacuator port.

What about the Water Lines and Biofilms?

You may have read in newspapers and magazines that there is a potential hazard of the water quality in dental equipment. The problem arises because of the thin tubing and the low volume of water that is needed for the water spray for both the air/water syringe and for the dental drill handpieces. This has been a controversial issue in dentistry and various government agencies and the ADA worked to formulate standards that will come into effect in the near future. We have been proactive and all of our dental units are fit with DentaPure® DP365 water line systems that put a minute but adequate amount of iodine in the water to kill the biofilm bacteria for a full year. The FDA indication allows them to claim the their system “Elutes 2-6 parts per million of iodine into the water in the dental water lines which reduces biofilms and leaves effluent water at less than 200 cfu. Iodine ingested by patients is less than the minimum adult daily requirement for iodine. Iodine used is I2 which contains no allergenic proteins.

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The 200 colony forming units per cubic millimeter is the ADA standard that dental offices are supposed to meet. This system is certified for a full year and at considerable cost a new filter is installed each year.

"White" Tooth-colored Fillings for Back Teeth

I have taken courses and reviewed much of the dental literature and spoken with other quality clinicians and recognized authorities before routinely using the newer tooth colored composite restorative (filling) materials for the back teeth. I have seen too many of the early first, second and third generation composites fail. I waited until there was good two-year clinical data in this country to back up the several years of testing and European data. More than 50 materials have been promoted and then discarded or vastly changed to meet the challenge of replacing silver amalgam.

We now have CEREC® 3D to fabricate all porcelain inlay, onlays, partial and complete porcelain crowns.

I am Cautious about Untested or Poorly Tested Materials

As another example, I am cautious to discuss the potential (unpredictable) serious side-effects of current bleaching technologies. There have been cases reported of severe gum recession (the bleaching peroxides change the protein on the surface of the teeth and the gum recedes away from it) and severe root sensitivity to hot/cold/food/air, which sometimes has required root canal. I think that my patients need to be informed of all available information before work is performed.

My Philosophy on Technology

The bottom line is that I offer the highest quality of Dental Care with State of the Art technology and materials, but I do not "experiment" on my patients with untested, or insufficiently tested materials. I leave testing to the manufacturers, the dental school researchers and those dentists willing to accept a higher rate of failure than I believe we need to.