We are technologically second to none in the dentistry
We’ve always been proud of our technology. Even when Dr. Lloyd Darby, Sr. was using the foot-petal engine seen above, we were at the cutting edge of the most advanced dentistry in the nation. Today, we're still proud to offer:
- Stem Save
- Integrated Computers
- Digital Radiography
- Intraoral Imaging
- Digital Imaging
- CAESY® and The Smile Channel
- Tekscan Bite Analysis
- Air Abrasion
- Laser-Assisted Dentistry
- Dental Implants
Integrated Computers
At Darby Dental, we like to keep our focus on excellent patient care. One of the ways we’ve been able to maintain our high standards for individual attention is by using computer technology to save time and minimize errors in patient records. Our office has been computerized since 1983, and now we’re fully equipped with the multifaceted DENTRIX® integrated system at every chair.
With software that manages our treatment plans, tracks patient history, produces crisp, high-quality intraoral camera images in seconds, and performs a host of other impressive feats, DENTRIX® is our chief resource for maintaining high-caliber service for our patients.
Digital Radiography
Using computers to x-ray the teeth has many advantages, both for us as dental professionals and for you, the patient. Unlike traditional film type x-rays that require a great deal of time and materials (as well as good luck in the darkroom), digital x-rays are obtained via a small electronic sensor that instantaneously transmits a picture of the tooth in question onto a video monitor in the treatment room.
These images can be modified, darkened, lightened, colorized, measured, and put through any number of manipulations to assist in diagnosis. Not to mention that this technology requires 90 percent less radiation than traditional film.
Intraoral Imaging
An indispensable diagnostic and educational tool in dentistry’s state-of-the-art arsenal, this tiny device is a video camera that moves around inside the mouth and generates a tooth-by-tooth video exam that dentist and patient can review together on a video monitor.
Our pen-sized camera can explore areas and angles inside the mouth that are not easy to access. These detailed images, which can be enlarged and manipulated onscreen, alert us to problems such as broken teeth, calculus buildup, defective fillings, and the early stages of gum disease – and provide you with a crystal-clear illustration of your dental needs.
Digital Imaging
Would you like to know how your new smile will look before your treatment even begins? Sophisticated digital imaging allows you to do just that. Using a digital camera to photograph your face and teeth from every angle and special software that allows us to manipulate the images, we can give you a very realistic visual of the improvements to come.
These images help us as we design your smile. They allow us to factor in the color of your skin, the shape of your face, the position of your lips, and even a hint at your personality – all of which influence the configuration of the beautiful smile that’s waiting to come out.
CAESY® and The Smile Channel
Modern dentistry is in a constant state of innovation. CAESY® (short for Clinically Advanced Education System) is an interactive presentation with up-to-date videos, computer animations, and hundreds of images to illustrate a host of timely dental topics and new procedures. The Smile Channel is a patient education DVD that plays in a continual loop in our reception area.
Tekscan Bite Analysis
Occlusion refers to the way that teeth mesh together to function. Improper occlusion – even a discrepancy as thin as a human hair – can lead to pain in the teeth, the chewing muscles, and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) – not to mention fractures and wear facets on the teeth.
Tekscan is a computerized bite analysis tool in which the patient bites on an electronic sensor and the computer records a “movie” of how the teeth are functioning. It determines which tooth strikes first and measures the forces of the bite. This incredible technology allows us to analyze a bite, balance it, and prevent unnecessary wear – no to mention prevent TMJ disorders.
Air Abrasion
This technology was sold as the use of compressed air to stream tiny abrasive particles (aluminum oxide) onto tooth enamel to remove decay from tiny pits and fissures. Our hygienists use this technology (mixed with water) to polish teeth.
Our Prepstar™ air abrasion unit is used to enhance bonding – particularly when repairing porcelain restorations. Using this technology for tooth decay has already become obsolete, being replaced with laser technology.
Laser-Assisted Dentistry
In order to maintain healthy and attractive teeth, we need to be able to detect problems as early as possible. The KaVo DIAGNOdent® is a most useful tool in doing that. A pen-shaped instrument shines a red laser beam into the tooth and measures the resultant fluorescence, enabling us to detect cavities in their earliest stages – before they can be detected even with x-rays. This enables us to provide the least invasive treatment, which means we can preserve as much of your natural tooth as possible.
Waterlase® MD
This revolutionary dental device uses a process called HydroPhotonics™ (a combination of laser energy and water) to perform many of the traditional dental procedures that have kept people away from the dentist’s chair in the past. Its developers used advanced materials and NASA-based technology to create this essential tool that can remove medium-sized cavities, contour bone, sterilize root canals, and aid in gum surgery with no drilling, minimal swelling, and more often than not, no anesthetic
Biolase® Lasersmile
This diode laser is used for soft tissue surgery without causing bleeding, as well as for low-level laser stimulation to relieve inflammation.
Dental Implants
Perfect for anyone who has lost a tooth to disease or injury, a dental implant is an artificial tooth root surgically inserted in the jaw to hold a replacement in place. The actual implants, which are metal posts fused with the bone, are usually placed by an oral surgeon or periodontist. Once the post has stabilized, Dr. Darby will craft a natural-looking tooth or teeth that will allow you to smile, speak, and eat again with comfort and confidence.
Darby Dental Services
310 Jackson St.
Vidalia, GA 30474
Phone: (912) 537-3377
Fax: (912) 538-7010
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART
I really think my mouth must be
The most important part of me,
For all my parts, from North to South,
Got into me right thru my mouth –
Except those first few parts, and others,
That had to choose to use my mother’s.
Not only does it bite and chew,
It sips, and sucks, and guzzles, too.
And while it drinks, I think it thinks
Of all the ways to SMILE at you.
There are so many kinds of smiles –
From “toothy” to “serene”,
And it can growl, and grimace, too,
In case I’m feeling mean.
I use it when I whistle,
When I sing, or even hum.
And if I tried to talk to you
Without it—I’d be dumb!
I breathe with it quite often.
I think it knows my nose;
When it’s stopped up my mouth steps up,
And the the air just flows.
I yawn with it, and cough with it,
And sneezes are embellished.
And since it’s where my tastebuds live,
Just think how much it’s relished.
It blows out my birthday candles—
Even as I’m wishing.
And if it’s held exactly right
I catch when I am fishing.
Oh, it has so many uses,
But my favorite one is this:
Whether family, friend, or lover,
It’s what we use to kiss.
So it really is important.
There is no doubt about it.
My mouth is me. It really is.
I am not me without it.
PS. . . We recently discovered
Another use as well:
Your mouth could one day save your life
If you saved a tooth’s Stem Cell.