At McKenzie Dental we have acquired several Diagnodent units. We are finding Diagnodent very useful in detecting the sub-surface cavities that were previously difficult to diagnose. Water fluoridation, in many cases, has hardened the top surface of the dental enamel allowing decay to migrate to a lower level of the tooth. While the top surface is hard, a cavity which already penetrated a small portion of the enamel can grow undetected in the soft dentin layers. The undetected decay in the lower layers of a tooth can grow until the damage is severe enough to be seen on a dental x-ray.

Diagnodent is also useful for checking teeth that we are unable to see with xrays (i.e. children under 2 years of age, people with extreme gag reflexes, malpositioned wisdom teeth). Suspicious areas can be monitored easily to avoid “surprise” deep cavities or toothaches.