Frontier and Microscope Dentistry

dentist in powell

Google the term “Hubble looking at nothing.” What are you looking at? For 25 years, the Hubble Space Telescope has been giving us a glimpse into the furthest reaches of the galaxy. The picture you see when you Google “Hubble looking at nothing” is the view of thousands of galaxies. Originally, the director of this project was ridiculed for wasting so much time looking at a patch of “unremarkable” space that was showing nothing. After 100 hours of telescope time, what was learned still shapes our perspective on space.

Seeing the smallest nuances

Microscopes in dentistry were originally viewed the same way as the Hubble experiment. It was ridiculous to think that you needed such a high-powered piece of equipment to treat a tooth. However, the Hubble paradigm is beginning to take shape in dentistry. The detail and precision that you gain by being able to see the smallest nuances within a tooth allow us to perform better, more precise dentistry.

So what do you use a microscope for?

Well, in short, everything! It is true that you don’t need a microscope to do great dentistry all of the time, just like you don’t need Hubble to see the Big Dipper. However, there are times that studying a single star of the dipper or finding a tiny canal within a tooth requires precision that is impossible without highpowered magnification. In fact, there is not one specialty of dentistry where you won’t find a doctor who doesn’t have at least one, and many times multiple, microscopes.

What other benefits are there to microscope dentistry?

One amazing benefit is the ability for you to see what I see. Through the help of a small, high definition camera attached to the microscope we can display a live video of the tooth and procedure, if you want to see it. Have you ever wondered why you need that crown or what a cavity looks like in your tooth? Well, now you can see it for yourself!

Dentistry is evolving, the technology changes everyday! Whether it’s using the best optics, learning to stop decay in its tracks without a drill, growing teeth from the inside out ,or just perfecting our skills, at Frontier Family Dental we strive to be on the cusp of the latest advances so that you can be sure you are receiving the best care possible. For your Powell, Wyoming dentist, the choice is clear: Dr. Scott Williams and the team at Frontier Family Dental. Call us today!