Advanced Technology

The goal of Dr. Van Alstine is to keep your teeth in place and ensure that they remain healthy and strong despite any potential issues that might arise. This is a goal that is made exponentially easier to achieve as technology continues to advance. Dr. Van Alstine has access to a wide variety of tools that dentists from the past—even those in relatively recent history—did not. These tools are used to help enable us to better understand what is happening with your teeth and in your mouth and, in turn, make a more accurate diagnosis that leads to an effective treatment plan. At Van Alstine Family Dentistry, we are proud to embrace the latest in technology to offer our patients the most effective treatment options possible.

When a tooth has had a significant amount of work done, or if it has decayed to the point that its structural integrity has been compromised, having a crown placed is often a viable option for restoration. A traditional crown is a custom-made cap, made in a dental laboratory, that fits over your existing tooth.

We now offer same-day crowns which, as the name implies, are made in our office and fitted on your tooth all in one visit! Same-day crowns are made possible thanks to computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM).

Dental X-Rays

One of the most important and widely used tools for Dr. Van Alstine is the x-ray. This is an imaging tool that enables us to look inside your mouth and into your teeth more closely than we ever could with vision alone. By extension, we can better pinpoint the source of any problems that the patient is experiencing. There are a few different types of x-rays that might be used.

Traditional x-rays—the kind that gives us those monochrome printouts of your teeth—are still alive and well in dental practices all over the globe. There is also a relatively new form of x-ray, the digital x-ray, that is a popular alternative. Digital x-rays function like traditional x-rays, except they produce images that are more detailed than those that are available using more traditional means.

Intraoral Camera

Another tool that is commonly used in our dental practice is that of the intraoral camera. This camera, as the name suggests, is one that is used inside of your mouth! It is often attached to a monitor in the exam room itself that shows the view of the camera as moves throughout the patient’s mouth. This camera greatly magnifies your teeth, which gives Dr. Van Alstine or our dental hygienists more insight as to what might be hurting your oral health. This camera is also useful for patients as well, as you can see exactly what we are seeing. This lets us explain the significance of anything we encounter as they move along.

Ultrasonic Scaler

One of the most important things that you can have done in our office is a cleaning. To help ward off gum disease and infection as well as decay, you want to have regular cleanings done. An ultrasonic scaler, then, is a scaler that makes these cleanings much easier for patients, as well as Dr. Van Alstine. The ultrasonic scaler is easier on the wrists and hands than any other kind of scaler, and it also more effective than other types of scalers as well. This means that your teeth are cleaner and feel better, and the cleaning is more detailed than it might have been before the use of the ultrasonic scaler.