Anyone who knows me knows that I like to explore and use dental equipment technology. I like to evaluate new products and understand how they can help clinicians provide better patient care. This is why I was eager to seize the opportunity to be one of the first dentists to use the DEXIS® CariVuTM caries detection equipment.
Illuminate hidden caries
DEXIS®CariVuTM
This exciting new product from DEXIS uses a unique patented transmission technology that has been developed for many years. Manufacturers have made significant improvements in the somewhat bulky form of the original unit and have completely redesigned the product to incorporate infrared light sources into modern, lightweight handpieces. These tips have been transformed into softer, more comfortable and autoclavable.
The result of this innovative redesign is a portable, easy-to-use system that is very effective at locating and displaying the shape and size of a caries lesion. It will get better. CariVu images were captured and stored in DEXIS® digital imaging software. They can be easily compared with existing X-ray and intra-oral camera images for comprehensive diagnostic support.
Although CariVu can find a variety of caries lesions and crevices, when X-rays were unable to provide this information, it could have left a deep impression on how it helped identify the way of decay. We are all faced with the situation that the patient's existing restorations have begun to deteriorate - there are subtle changes in the color and translucency in the surrounding enamel, but the explorer cannot catch it. X-ray films do not show possible caries because it is blocked by the restoration. You must decide whether to watch this area or resume. In these situations, CariVu images can help you make better treatment decisions.
For example, a veneer can block our view of x-ray caries. When I first started using CariVu, I met a patient who had the first case of premolar. I think the middle part looks suspicious, but the X-ray blocks the view of the area. I took a picture of CariVu and the decay has already been known.
The result of this innovative redesign is a portable, easy-to-use dental supplies system that is very effective at locating and displaying the shape and size of a caries lesion.
Although I can see myself using CariVu to evaluate occlusal and interproximal caries, and even determine the cracks in the treatment process, I think this is very useful for those situations where recession often occurs. It can illuminate "hidden" carious lesions.
