My examinations are very thorough and the tools that I use are exceptional. I am not sure what is meant by “IO cavities”, but dental cavities are diagnosed in generally three ways, and only one of those involves x-rays. \r
1) X-rays: I use digitals instead of the older versions, so I can instantly enlarge areas I have questions about, to be sure of my diagnosis and document my findings.\r
2) Visual identification: I use glasses with magnifying scopes on them, and an intraoral camera that allows me to photograph and enlarge suspicious discolorations so I can determine if it is staining on top the tooth, or decay beneath the surface. \r
3) Physical probing each tooth with an “explorer” (the metal tool that has pointed hooks on the ends): The tiny tips on explorers wear down with use. I replace my explorers often (at greater expense than if I would replace them less often), so the exploring tip is small enough that it will find cavities as early/small as possible. I prefer to restore cavities before they turn into something larger, as they typically do. \r
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Catching cavities early means potentially less cost for my patients, and potentially less profit for my practice. I care about my patients and I treat their mouths the way I would want mine, my wife’s and my children’s treated. And I can assure you that if I suddenly started arbitrarily diagnosing cavities, my very competent and experienced staff would call me on it, immediately. Instead, dental lab technicians and members of my staff who also work with other dentists have sent their family and friends to me for dentistry, and you can be sure that, being in the dental field and knowing as much as they do, they would not, if they doubted my ability or integrity.
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