Surgical Microscope

We recently added a Surgical microscope to our practice. This tool offers an astounding upgrade in the way we are able to treat you, in that the visibility and light in the treatment field had gone up dramatically. 

Magnification in dentistry

For the last 30 years or so, dentists have started using glasses with magnification. This was then improved with little headlights that focused the light into the mouth. Those early lights were heavy and hot. With the advent of LEDs that became lighter, cooler and better. The truth is , magnification is a must in dentistry. I really do not understand how you can treat a patient without it. Especially for an experienced dentist. As you age, your vision gets poorer and without magnification your ability to provide good care suffers.

Surgical Microscope 

A surgical microscope is usually hung from the ceiling above the patient, it is fully adjustable, have powerful lighting and has different levels of magnification. Another great advantage is that it can be connected to a screen so that the dental assistants can see exactly what is going on in the mouth. The lighting is very very powerful and it also has a filter that allows us to block the UV light when working with composite fillings, which get hard when exposed to the light.

Uses of the Surgical Microscope

Firstly an a diagnostic tool, it allows us to see things that otherwise might not be visible. In the picture below you can see 2 teeth with multiple fractures. While some might be clear to the naked eye, others are not.

Another very powerful usage is in root canal therapy. It is often difficult to  find the opening into the canals in a tooth. When we have the magnification and ability to focus exactly, we have almost no difficulty in find them. The picture below illustrates that.

surgical microscope