In recent years, the widespread use of fluoride has made it more difficult to find and restore cavities early in their development. Fluoride hardens the outer enamel layer of teeth, which means decay has a difficult time gaining a foothold. As a result, cavities are typically smaller and can be much harder to diagnose. Before a dental explorer would catch on the decay or the cavity would show up on a routine “X-ray”. Now however, a small cavity can easily go undetected.
Diagnodent is a laser technology that scans your teeth with harmless pulses of light. When a cavity is present, fluorescent light of a different wavelength bounces back to the sensor, which is translated to a digital read-out. In general, a high number indicates a greater amount of decay in the tooth. When a cavity is present, the Diagnodent also produces an audible signal.
