It’s always exciting to imagine what the future may hold. The people of the 1950’s envisioned the people of today commuting to and from work in flying cars. They didn’t see them sitting at home telecommuting from a laptop. Still, there have been many improvements in technology over the course of the decades.
Those people from the ‘50’s have seen an incredible boom in dental technology. They went from putting a paste on a stick and only seeing the dentist if there was an emergency to using a manual or electric toothbrush with fluoride toothpaste and seeing the dentist twice yearly.
The denizens of the 21st century are living in a great time – but there are even better things on the horizon for dental technology.
Digital X-Rays
The days of having to sit with a bunch of uncomfortable bite plates and then have a dentist squint at a bunch of X-rays on a light board are nearly over. Digital technology is moving more and more to the forefront.
Now dentists or hygienists will be able to take fast X-rays in high-resolution and will be able to spot possible issues much more efficiently than in the past. The exposure will also be a fraction of what it was in the past.
Smart Toothbrushes
Electric toothbrushes make life much easier for people to maintain a high quality of oral health. The next step in this evolution is a smart toothbrush. It will have games on it that can help children learn how to properly brush their teeth.
The toothbrush will also be able to tell when it’s bristles are getting worn down and order a replacement head. Yet another item can be checked off a household’s to-do list.
Remote Appointments
It used to be very difficult for people in rural areas to get high quality dental care, given that they often would have to travel long distances to get seen. That’s no longer the case with high-resolution cameras in phones.
Patients will be able to download an app and have a dentist look at them remotely. It’s not a complete savior but it will be a lot better than what they used to have in the past.
Who knows what the next half-century has in store. Perhaps things that seem far-fetched will be the norm. It will be fascinating for people to find out along the way.
Dr. Robert M. Trager has seen much over the course of his career and he’s looking forward to discussing the future with his patients during their next-check-up. Give him a call at 718-656-4747.
