Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just shine harmless light at the tooth and have it penetrate it similar to a light shining through an ice cube? In that ice cube you would notice anything that should not there – and we want to have something like that for a tooth.
With CariVu this now has become reality. If you ever played with a laser pointer, you probably used it on your hand and fingers and were surprised how deep it penetrates. In medicine this is used to detect abnormalities in organs by shining a strong light beam at it and looking from the other side for any unusual absorption. This diagnostic is called transillumination.
With the new DEXIS CariVu™ a tiny laser shines on the tooth that reveals decay or cracks in many instances not even visible on Xrays. Mind you, it does not eliminate the need for Xrays altogether, it complements them and reduces the need for multiple Xrays.
CariVu and Interoral Image
It is excellent on little kids who cannot tolerate the sensor in their mouths, or those who want to keep radiation exposure at a minimum.
In the following video Dr. Lou Graham gives some more information how this works and how it’s used…
It’s a shame that more dentists aren’t using this. Bravo Dr. Sarkissian and Dr. Hamoui!