Hyde Park Advancements

At Manus Dental Hyde Park, we are excited to introduce our newest technologies.  We strive to provide all of our patients with the highest quality and the most advanced dental care. We are currently a completely digital office including digital radiography, intra-oral photography, and computerized educational tools.  We are also pleased to introduce the Single Tooth  Anesthesia system – eliminating painful injections, prolonged numbness of the lip and tongue and drooping face.  Please read below to find out more!

Digital Radiography (x-rays)

We have recently converted to digital radiography (x-rays) and incorporated large plasma TV’s for patient education through intra-oral photos and videos.  There are several benefits to using digital radiography versus traditional film x-rays. 

The physical process for digital radiography is similar to the traditional dental x-rays that you are accustomed to.   With digital radiography, the dental assistant will insert a sensor into your mouth to capture images of your teeth.  Although it resembles the film used for bitewings and other x-rays, the digital sensor is electronic and connected to a computer. Once the x-ray is taken, the image is immediately projected on a computer screen for your dentist to view.

Less Radiation -- The equipment used in digital radiography exposes dental patients to much less radiation. In fact, digital x-rays use up to 90 percent less radiation than conventional film x-rays.

Shorter Dental Appointments -- Digital radiography can also shorten your dental appointment!  With traditional dental x-rays, you'll have to wait while your dentist develops the film. With digital radiography, the sensor develops the picture almost instantly and projects it onto a computer screen right before your eyes.

Higher Quality Images -- The standard size of traditional X-rays can make viewing difficult, but digital radiography has done away with the "one size fits all" mentality. Once on the screen, digital X-rays can be enlarged or magnified for a better visual of the tooth's structure. Brightness, contrast and color can also be adjusted, allowing your dentist to see small cavities easier. If you need a hard copy of your x-ray, digital images can also be printed out or emailed to you.

Transferring Dental Records -- Digital images can be e-mailed to a dental specialist for immediate review. Digital x-rays are taking away the expense and time needed to copy files and mail them to another dentist, making it easier to transfer dental records or get a second opinion. As more offices are turning to electronic patient charts, computers may eliminate the need to mail dental records altogether.

Environmentally Friendly -- Digital dental x-rays are better for the environment!   With digital radiography, no chemicals are used to develop film.

The Intra-oral Camera

Educating dental patients is a critical component of a comprehensive examination at our office.   The most successful tool for patient education is an intra-oral camera, which reveals the true picture of a patient’s oral health. A sterilized small probe shaped camera is moved around the inside of your mouth. This will provide you with a tooth-by-tooth video exam of your teeth so you can see your teeth enlarged in living color on our television screen in the treatment room. We can freeze and store the pictures of your teeth and gums for you and your records.

This painless, no radiation technique allows you to see problems such as worn-out, defective fillings, fractured teeth, decay, bleeding gums and plaque. Together we can discuss your treatment plan with you for restoring your mouth to optimal health.

Key Benefits

• Early Detection of cavities is a significant benefit to patients. Traditionally the "explorer" was used to feel a "sticky" area. The use of the camera and its magnification allows me to detect cavities before the enamel has fractured away to reveal the soft and decalcified underlying tooth structure.
• Oral Pathology and its detection is a major advantage of the intraoral camera. Just as the operating room physician is advantaged in seeing with his "scope", the dentist is also at an advantage to visualize and diagnose tissue changes, which may be pre-cancerous, or simply tissue abnormalities.
• Fractured Teeth may be detected with the intraoral camera due to the ability to magnify. Often the cracks in teeth are undetectable to the naked eye or to 3.5X microsurgical eyeglasses. The early detection of these fractures allows treatment when the problem is small and uncomplicated.
• Fractured Fillings may also be detected with the intraoral camera due to the ability to magnify. Cracked fillings are often very difficult to detect without the aid of intraoral camera magnification. When fillings crack and leak they usually decay at the deepest point and can be complicated to repair. The early treatment of these conditions is a major advantage since they are uncomplicated when shallow.
• Patient Communication is dramatically improved when you can see your dental condition on a 32-inch TV monitor.  This enables me to indicate you exactly what, why, and where your treatment will occur.
• Record Keeping is dramatically improved. If a picture is truly worth a thousand words, dental photographs are extremely valuable in communicating to your insurance carrier, and obtaining benefits for therapy that you need.

No more “drooling” after visiting our office with Single Tooth Anesthesia by Dr. Rudolph

The STA system releases a precise amount of anesthesia throughout your dental procedure to ensure no pain either from the injections or the work your dentist is doing. Only the area worked on is numbed!

The STA needle doesn’t even look like a syringe! The tiny needle is significantly smaller than traditional dental needles (it looks like a wand or pen with a small needle at the end) and eliminates the typical numbness and often embarrassing drooling that you normally experience from a trip to the dentist.

What this means for you

Without the normal full face numbness you can visit the dentist and no longer worry about having to wait hours before you can speak or drink a cup of coffee without drooling or having a fat lip and lopsided face!

Many people have had bad experiences with dental injections: the STA system eliminates that ‘bee sting’ effect with computer controlled, automatically released anesthesia! These doses of anesthesia are released below your pain threshold – without utilizing the dreaded dental syringe.

A little spray to numb the gum then a slow release of slow, small doses of anesthesia through the computerized system guarantees you won’t feel a thing.

Our patients are saying:

“I have a fear of needles and visits to the dentist always terrified me – NO MORE!! This is the easiest, most pain free injection I have ever experienced!”

“It’s the best shot I ever had!”

“Dr. Rudolph’s new computerized anesthesia system is wonderful! There was no syringe, no pain and no sting from the injection, it is absolutely fantastic!”

Learn the ABC's

Common FAQs Parents Have about Children’s Dental Health

Teaching your children how to brush and floss properly is one of the most important things you can do to ensure healthy habits later on down the road. Many parents don’t know how to properly care for their child’s teeth, yet soon as your child’s teeth come in, daily brushing and flossing are essential. There are hundreds of kid-friendly options that can make brushing and flossing more fun for your kids.

Here are a few FAQs that parents have when it comes to their child’s dental care: 

How long should my child brush for?

You should encourage your child to brush for two to three minutes. A helpful hint is to put a timer by the toothbrushes or to have him listen to his favorite song while he’s brushing his teeth.

How often should my child brush his teeth?

Brushing should happen more than once a day. It’s especially important to brush right before bed. Those eight hours that a child rests is a common time for bacteria to set in and negatively effect the enamel.

When should a child begin flossing?

You should start flossing your child’s teeth when two of his teeth are touching one another. When children reach the age of nine, they should be able to floss by themselves.

What’s the best flossing technique?

With a saw-like motion, weave the floss in between each tooth to ensure that plaque and excess foods are removed from between the teeth.

When should they start to use fluoride?

Children under the age of 2 should not use fluoride in any toothpaste or rinses. In fact, it’s better to err on the side of caution if you are afraid that your child will swallow toothpaste or rinses. Tap water also contains fluoride which protects against tooth decay.

What are some of the best child-friendly products that I can buy?

Inspector Hector Plaque Detector is a great tool that parents can use to show your children where the plaque is. It’s a pre-rinse that is used before your child brushes and the blue tinted liquid stains the areas of the teeth that are plaque ridden. And, of course, there’s always the standard bubble gum flavored toothpaste and fun shaped toothbrushes.

Remember, dental hygiene is a crucial part of your child’s physical health. Poor dental hygiene habits can be just as harmful as a poor habit or lack of exercise, so make sure you keep your child strong head to toe!

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