Experience the Patient-centric and Holistic Approach of Intercare Dentists
Given their early history, it's no wonder dentists have been feared for centuries. Today, advanced technology and a caring manner have changed that image. In practice, dentistry is one of the oldest medical professions. Its origins can be traced to around 7 000 BC when it was introduced by the people living in the Indus Valley region. A Sumerian text created about that time cites tooth worms as the cause of dental decay, an idea that persisted until the 18th century.
Almost 7 000 years later, in Ancient Greece, the renowned physicians Aristotle and Hippocrates wrote about the treatment of decaying teeth. However, progress in dental care remained limited until the Middle Ages. The first professional dentists were sometimes skilled toolmakers like blacksmiths but, more often, barbers who qualified by virtue of their skills in bloodletting. Indeed, they frequently used leeches to treat toothache. In practice, their role was as much that of performers as healers. In fact, the traditional red and white stripes on a barber's pole represent blood and bandages. Furthermore, these were likely first used to attract spectators to a makeshift dental clinic rather than patients.
Enlightenment finally arrived in 1723 with the definitive work of Pierre Fauchard, a French surgeon now widely cited as the father of modern dentistry. In his book, The Surgeon Dentist, A Treatise on Teeth, he proposed a practical dental care and treatment system. Soon after, he introduced the concept of dental fillings and prostheses and identified the acids from sugar as the cause of dental caries. Nevertheless, it was almost 120 years before the first dental college opened in Baltimore, USA.
Some Technological Advances That Have Influenced Today's Dentists
Apart from minor additions and improvements to handheld instruments, the first significant technological breakthrough for dentists was undoubtedly the discovery of X-rays and the subsequent development of the X-ray machine. The Americans also pioneered dental radiographs at the turn of the nineteenth century, although the adoption of this technology remained pretty limited until the 1950s.
Today, those bulky and, as it was later revealed, inherently dangerous machines have been replaced by compact X-ray units that produce only a tiny fraction of the radiation and can be comfortably inserted into the mouth. These intraoral devices allow dentists to see what may be happening inside the jaw and teeth in detail without risk or discomfort to themselves or their patients.
The means to gain a clear picture of a patient's jaw and dentition has transformed the dentist's task. Hence, developing new and better ways to improve that picture has long been a primary focus of dental engineers.
Despite the virtue of X-rays, a high-quality surface view of the interior of the buccal cavity and its contents can often be invaluable. The intraoral camera now provides the solution.
These lightweight handheld devices, similar in size to a toothbrush and shaped much like a ball-point pen, can be easily manipulated to provide a 105º illuminated view of usually concealed distal areas. The images obtained are in digital format. Consequently, they can be displayed on a video screen, printed, or stored on a computer hard drive for future reference. In addition to aiding the detection of broken or decayed teeth and gum disease and developing a treatment plan, the screen display provides a visual aid to help explain things to the patient.
Remarkable though these innovations may be, they are just two examples of the advanced technology employed daily by our dentists at each state-of-the-art Intercare dental clinic.
Many Modern Dentists No Longer Rely on Conventional Impressions
Before the introduction of tooth implantation, the use of crowns to repair decayed teeth or dentures to replace them following an extraction were the only practical alternatives. The most commonly used procedure employs a shaped tray filled with a suitable material into which a patient must bite to produce an impression of the teeth and other oral tissues. This imprint provides an accurate record of the required size, shape, and fit, which serves as a model from which a dental technician can create the appropriate restoration.
While sound enough, this method can have a drawback for the patient. There is often a lengthy delay between the impression and the completed prosthetic, as dental technicians usually serve multiple dentists, and their work requires meticulous care. Thus, at least two appointments are always necessary.
However, some dental surgeries have embraced an alternative technology called chair-side economic restoration of esthetic ceramic or CEREC. By employing another new digital dental device, a practitioner can create a three-dimensional image of a patient's jaws and teeth and use CAD/CAM software to select the treatment area and model a well-fitting restoration on screen.
But the process doesn't stop there. The digitised data produced can then be transmitted to an automated milling machine. Here, it will be used to fashion the required crown, veneer, inlay, or denture from a ceramic block while the patient looks on. Furthermore, ceramic is significantly more durable than traditionally used porcelain, which could be good news for those patients who habitually grind their teeth.
Services Available From Dentists at an Intercare Dental Clinic
A holistic collection of dental services is available from Intercare dental centres. While those offered may differ slightly between facilities, all are well-equipped with the latest advanced dental technology and staffed by highly qualified and experienced healthcare professionals. Intercare dentists provide three main categories of service as follows:
- - Routine Care: This category covers examining and assessing the teeth and oral tissues when disease or symptoms are absent. It includes general tasks necessary to maintain oral health and dental integrity, like radiography, root canal treatment, basic restorative procedures, removable prostheses and screening for evidence of gum disease.
- - Oral Hygiene: The services in this category include scaling and polishing, teeth cleaning and de-banding of braces, supply and fitting of gum guards, retainers and occlusal protectors, teeth whitening and personalised preventive plans and preventative maintenance programmes.
- - Specialised Care: In addition to preliminary radiography, the preparation and fitting of dental prosthetics and rehabilitations, and increasingly popular implant dentistry, this section consists of four subsections:
- - Orthodontics: The correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws and misaligned bite patterns
- - Endodontics: Procedures for treating diseases of the inner part of the tooth or dental pulp
- - Periodontics: The treatment of conditions affecting the gums and jawbone.
- - Oral surgery: A broad term covering the removal of impacted teeth, cysts and tumours and the correction of trauma affecting the mouth or jaw
We operate dental centres in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern and Western Cape, and our convenient online booking service means arranging an appointment at an Intercare dental clinic couldn't be simpler. If, like most South Africans, you wish to ensure the best dental care available for you and your family, this is your chance. Just follow this link to let Intercare dentists grant your wish.
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