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Dental Microscopes
Microscope enhanced dentistry allows Dr. Shiotsu and Dr. Tam to see tiny details that are simply impossible to visualize with the naked eye or even loupes, the traditional glasses with magnification in the lenses.
When we can see a tooth up to 20x its normal size, we can be confident that we see everything. When we see everything, you know that we can treat you with the best standard of care possible.
Dr. Shiotsu often shares with his patients, “There is no way I could have done what I just did for your tooth without the microscope. What I was able to see, allowed me to save this tooth not only for the short term, but the long term as well”.
Both Dr. Shiotsu and Dr. Tam are certified clinicians by the Academy of Microscope Enhanced Dentistry.
More About Microscope Enhanced Dentistry
We cannot treat what we cannot see.
Magnification can be divided into low-magnification (2x–8x), mid-magnification (8x–16x), and high-magnification (16x–25x). The average clinician is doing naked eye dentistry or dentistry with loupes.
With higher levels of magnification, the need for tactile feedback is eliminated and the operator’s visual feedback is enhanced. Working with higher magnification leads dentists to be more conservative with dental tissues.
Who is using magnification in the United States?
Microscope usage is currently the best practice for root canal procedures and has been an educational standard since 1998.
About 77.2% of Root Canal specialists) use dental microscopes when performing root canal procedures. About 3,538 endodontists in the U.S. practice this way.
-source 2019 Global Surgical Marketing Director
Microscopes have become an integral, even indispensable, element of endodontic practice and a key factor in diagnostic and clinical procedures, yielding better outcomes compared to treatment without vision enhancement or magnifying eyewear.
Fewer than 1% of Restorative Dentists utilize dental microscopes in their procedures, this accounts to only 818 restorative dentists.
-source 2019 Global Surgical Marketing Director
Benefits of Microscopic Enhanced Dentistry
The microscope allows our practice to treat patients better with early diagnosis, conservative treatments, and reliable outcomes due to improved precision. Magnification allows for more conservative preparations with less removal of sound tooth structure. Microscope allows us to also locate cracks and fractures that are not visible to the naked eye nor are they detectable with regular dental instruments.
We find that our clinical and fine motor skills are enhanced by use of appropriate lighting and magnifications devices to improve visualization of all aspects of the operative field. We believe that using microscope for restorative dentistry is the best practice and eventually may even become a standard of care.
The benefits of DOM use in dentistry are now unanimously accepted:
- Increased vision
- Improved overall quality of the treatment
- Minimally invasive treatment with less dental hard tissue removal
- Avoidance of damages of neighboring teeth and gums
- Enhanced photo documentation
Want to Schedule an Appointment?
With microscope enhanced dentistry, Dr. Shiotsu and Dr. Tam provide a win-win situation for both the clinician and the patient. Higher magnification allows the dentist to see more clearly so that we can identify and correct problems early on, which saves your time, money, and beautiful smile. Feel free to ask anyone on the Mercer Island Dentistry team any questions you have about this revolutionary technology.
To schedule your appointment with us contact Mercer Island Dental, and our friendly staff will be happy to assist you!
