Times are Changing

I recently attended my 20th dental class reunion in San Francisco. It was great to be back in the City. It was great to see old friends, and make some new ones. While visiting my old stomping grounds, I was impressed to see how the old dental school, in Pacific Heights, was moving into a state of the art facility South of Market Street. It gave me a chance to reflect on my own journey. It made me come to the realization that we have to evolve to stay current. I think back to when we were taught to do Mercury fillings in school, and now I have not done one since 1999. I think back not so long ago we had to put a messy, runny material, in someones mouth to get an impression for a crown. We would then wait two to four weeks for it to come back from the lab. Now all we have to do is take a digital CAD photo, and we can usually make the crown in the office and have it in the mouth in a couple of hours. Dentistry is changing rapidly. We no longer use chemicals to develope x-rays, and with the introduction of digital x-rays, the amount of radiation for x-rays has gone down. The exposure is up to 90% less than the old traditional x-rays. We now use lasers in dentistry routinely for finding cavities, treating gum disease, and cavities. The materials we use now are far superior to what we had in the past. With the introduction of emax, a new super strong ceramic, we can place nice white looking crowns in all areas of the mouth, where before we were limited. I think back to some of the materials I used just 5 years ago I no longer use. Dentistry is truly evolving by helping save lives with sleep medicine and different treatments for sleep apnea. There are new breakthroughs in treating Temporomandibular joint disorder. If you are interested in seeing or learning about some of these things call us for an appointment (808-873-0707), or mention it to us on your next visit. Our office is constantly evolving so that we may take care of our clients the best way we can. Thanks, James Merrett DDS