Taking the radiation out of dental work

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Some patients worry that X-rays aren't safe, since radiation exposure has been linked to cell mutations that could lead to cancer. 

We talked to Dr. Colt Riley, a dentist in Houston, about new state-of-the-art technology that is free of radiation at the dentist's office. 

He uses a special camera to examine teeth.

"There's no radiation at all!  It's an infrared trans-lumination device.  It's basically a high-definition camera that's painless, no radiation, we can take a quick picture and it comes on the screen instantly.  You can actually see 2D like an x-ray but also 3D.  We just place it on the tooth, and you can see decay or a cracked tooth," explains Dr. Riley.

If you've ever had a filling or crown, you know it can be frustrating if your bite gets off during the dental procedure.  New technology is helping with that, as well!

"We have digitally a representation of our patients' bite.  You put it in their mouth, they bite on it, and it compresses the sensor.  You'll see the active point in the mouth and it tells us where she is biting, how hard, and where we need to adjust.  It takes out 100% of the guess work and can replace analog paper," says Dr. Riley.  

For more information visit: http://www.cosmeticdentistshouston.com/