Modern Technology for Precise, Gentle Care

Using the latest dental techniques and technologies is another way the dedicated Paul Sioda Dental team goes above and beyond to ensure our patients receive the superior dental services they deserve. When we incorporate a new dental technique or technology, we do so for one of three reasons: improved comfort, quality, or affordability. If you’d like to find out more about how dental technology is transforming your experience at our Tacoma, WA dentistry practice, contact our team today.

​

Pain-Free Dentistry 

Going to the dentist can be a relaxing, anxiety-free experience—as long as you choose a practice that uses state-of-the-art technology. With the Odyssey 3W Diode Laser, we can perform several procedures using a laser and water spray. It is a wonderful alternative to many traditional dental tools that may be associated with discomfort or unease, and in many cases it allows your dentist to ditch the shot and drill for comfortable, relaxing dental care. You’ll love it!

​

Intraoral Photography

Many dental technologies don’t directly affect patient experience in a noticeable way, but intraoral photography may be the most impactful technology for patient care. Rather than describing or explaining what we see, intraoral photography allows us to show patients their smiles from our perspective. This helps patients better understand the issue, become more active partners in treatment planning, and feel more confident in the options they choose to repair or improve their smiles. These images are captured with a small, pen-like camera that can be easily positioned inside the mouth and provides clear images of patients’ dental structures.

 

Digital X-Rays

Digital panoramic photography has made it easy for our team to show patients the parts of their teeth above the gum line for better patient education and treatment planning, but what about the underlying dental structures? X-rays have been used for decades to help dentists and patients better understand how the underlying supportive structures of teeth function, but they were difficult to capture, time-consuming to develop, and viewable only with a specialized light board. Digital X-rays are easier and safer to capture, expose patients to significantly less radiation, and provide high-definition images that are immediately available on any computer for easy storage and transfer.

 

CT/Conebeam Scanner

Digital X-rays show how the underlying dental structures in specific sections of the smile are working, but for more advanced treatments, we need the full picture and how the teeth fit together. That’s where the CT/Conebeam scanner comes in. This system gives us a complete, panoramic image of the teeth and jaw and how they work together. More and more often, we recommend CT/Conebeam scans as part of regular diagnostic care every three to five years, and we may also use these comprehensive images for treatment planning for Invisalign orthodontics, TMJ dysfunction therapy, and dental implant placement.

 

Endodontic Microscope 

The microscope makes details and fine structures clearly visible. It helps you better visualize regions of interest and consistently provide your patients with high-quality examinations and treatments. The compact, high-performing, easy-to-use Microscope offers solid support for the most demanding applications – whether in restorative dentistry, endodontics, implantology, or periodontics. Highly ergonomic functions let users adjust the focal length easily while maintaining their preferred working posture.

​

The microscope, with its apochromatic coatings, makes details and fine structures clearly visible, enabling you to visualize high-contrast, true-color images.
With the microscope, optics and illumination go hand in hand.

​

Soft Tissue Laser

Traditional soft tissue procedures used a scalpel to remove damaged tissue and stitches to reattach. With this traditional method, healing and recovery could take several weeks, and patients often experienced significant discomfort. We introduced the soft tissue laser to our practice in order to complete a number of treatments with less bleeding and discomfort during treatment, significantly reduced healing time, and more effective results. We may use our diode laser for scaling and root planing and cosmetic gum recontouring. Laser dentistry lets us remove only the necessary gum tissue while cauterizing the treatment area.

 

Zoom Whitening by Philips Zoom

Philips Zoom, the No.1 patient-requested professional whitening brand*, is clinically proven to whiten teeth up to eight shades in 45 minutes**. With clinically superior results and efficacy versus other professional whitening alternatives, Zoom Whitening is one of the fastest ways to create brighter, healthier smiles that patients will want to show off. When combined with the pH booster in the whitening gel, its advanced blue LED light-activated technology greatly accelerates the whitening process, delivering dramatic results your patients will love in just one office visit.

​

IV Sedation Monitoring Equipment

During IV sedation, monitoring devices are attached to the patient to complement clinical monitoring. These devices can monitor breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure, increasing the safety of the IV sedation procedure. Attach the devices and switch them on before administering any sedative so you can note the patient's baseline readings.

 

Oxygenation and pulse (Pulse oximetry). Oxygenation is the most important function to monitor during IV sedation dentistry procedures. A pulse oximeter always monitors blood oxygen levels. It is a non-invasive device (clips onto a finger or earlobe) that provides rapid, accurate readings of arterial oxygen saturation and pulse rate.

 

Using a pulse oximeter adequately monitors both respiratory and cardiovascular function. The device can detect changes in oxygenation that clinical observation may miss and provide early warning of respiratory depression. Oxygen saturation levels under 90% must be treated as potentially serious.

 

Heart function. Electrocardiographic monitoring is not normally required, but it may help patients with cardiovascular problems or increased cardiac risk. Electrocardiographs are more likely to be used when sedation is performed in a hospital environment.

Blood pressure. Blood pressure is usually measured for reference before and then after the procedure. Continuous blood pressure monitoring is not needed unless there are medical reasons to do so.