Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Digital is the buzzword of the times. Analog equates to a backward way of doing things. Digital, when not applying to fingers, refers to a way of describing things with digits, i.e. a group of 1’s and 0’s that, according to a given pattern, represent the “thing”. This representation (data) is made of of bits (1s and 0s) which are arranged in groups called bytes. The bigger the byte, the more complex the arrangement of 1s and 0s possible and the more information it can store, transmit, or process. Analog, in electronics, refers to adding frequency or amplitude information to a electronic carrier wave to represent a “thing”. A digital representation is generally much more accurate than an analog and has the advantage of being able to be altered with a computer to change the essence of the “thing”. A digital photograph can be “photoshopped” to change everything about the photo, including the content. Digital music can be altered by using a computer to change the music itself. An analog copy can’t be predictably changed (a phonograph record can be scratched, but only improved by re-recording from an original) In dentistry, the digital revolution has impacted us in many ways. We now have computerized recordkeeping, digital x-ray (the image is 1s and 0s arranged by an algorithm to show an image like a traditional x-ray film on a computer monitor) and digital photography. The latest addition to our armamentarium is a digital scanner. Traditionally, we have made an impression of teeth with an impression material, and then either poured the impression with plaster to make an analog plaster model, or in the case of Invisalign, we have sent the impression to the Align Technology lab where they digitally scan it and then they return the 3-D image to us. We then make the changes that will be translated into a series of clear plastic trays (aligners) that fit over the teeth, putting pressure on them and causing the bone around them to remodel and the teeth to move into a better position. Every 2 weeks, another aligner continues to move the teeth toward a final position where the teeth fit perfectly. The good news now is…..No More Impressions For Invisalign. Our scanner allows us to scan the teeth in the mouth so that we can have the 3-D image immediately. This saves us time and saves our patients from having to have very precise but gooey and not-so-tasty impressions made of their teeth. We are excited to have this new tool available so that we can be of better service to you, our patients. Incidentally, for over a year we have been using a different scanner to make a digital record of the archived pre-treatment and final models we have been storing for 15 years. As we scan those models, we are attempting to contact the patients to offer them those original plaster casts, so if you get that call, come and get your piece of personal history.
Digital is the buzzword of the times. Analog equates to a backward way of doing things. Digital, when not applying to fingers, refers to a way of describing things with digits, i.e. a group of 1’s and 0’s that, according to a given pattern, represent the “thing”. This representation (data) is made of of bits (1s and 0s) which are arranged in groups called bytes. The bigger the byte, the more complex the arrangement of 1s and 0s possible and the more information it can store, transmit, or process. Analog, in electronics, refers to adding frequency or amplitude information to a electronic carrier wave to represent a “thing”. A digital representation is generally much more accurate than an analog and has the advantage of being able to be altered with a computer to change the essence of the “thing”. A digital photograph can be “photoshopped” to change everything about the photo, including the content. Digital music can be altered by using a computer to change the music itself. An analog copy can’t be predictably changed (a phonograph record can be scratched, but only improved by re-recording from an original) In dentistry, the digital revolution has impacted us in many ways. We now have computerized recordkeeping, digital x-ray (the image is 1s and 0s arranged by an algorithm to show an image like a traditional x-ray film on a computer monitor) and digital photography. The latest addition to our armamentarium is a digital scanner. Traditionally, we have made an impression of teeth with an impression material, and then either poured the impression with plaster to make an analog plaster model, or in the case of Invisalign, we have sent the impression to the Align Technology lab where they digitally scan it and then they return the 3-D image to us. We then make the changes that will be translated into a series of clear plastic trays (aligners) that fit over the teeth, putting pressure on them and causing the bone around them to remodel and the teeth to move into a better position. Every 2 weeks, another aligner continues to move the teeth toward a final position where the teeth fit perfectly. The good news now is…..No More Impressions For Invisalign. Our scanner allows us to scan the teeth in the mouth so that we can have the 3-D image immediately. This saves us time and saves our patients from having to have very precise but gooey and not-so-tasty impressions made of their teeth. We are excited to have this new tool available so that we can be of better service to you, our patients. Incidentally, for over a year we have been using a different scanner to make a digital record of the archived pre-treatment and final models we have been storing for 15 years. As we scan those models, we are attempting to contact the patients to offer them those original plaster casts, so if you get that call, come and get your piece of personal history.
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