Dental Technology in Broughty Ferry
The Equipment on Brook Street, and Why It Matters to You
Under one roof in Broughty Ferry we have a CBCT scanner, an iTero Lumina scanner, digital X-rays, MegaGen R2 guided surgery for implants and Airflow for hygiene. This page skips the specifications and sticks to what each one changes for you in the chair: fewer journeys elsewhere for scans, decisions based on measurements, and no trays of impression putty.
CBCT Lets Us See the Bone in Three Dimensions
An ordinary X-ray squashes everything into one flat image. Cone beam CT builds a 3D model of your jaw instead, so we can measure the height and width of the bone, trace the nerve in the lower jaw and check how close the sinus sits to the upper back teeth.
- The scan is done during your consultation on Brook Street, with no hospital referral and nothing to wait for
- Every implant and full-arch case Dr Sharma takes on is planned on the scan before any surgery is booked
- The dose is above that of a small X-ray, so we scan only when the 3D view would genuinely alter what we do
- The fee for a scan is £160, and dentists elsewhere in Dundee and Angus can send patients to us for one
iTero Means No More Impression Trays
Anyone who has sat through a mouthful of setting paste will appreciate this one. The iTero wand glides across your teeth for a couple of minutes, and a full-colour 3D model builds on the screen next to you as it goes.
- Your Invisalign simulation comes from this scan, so the likely outcome is shown to you before any money changes hands
- Retainers, night guards and whitening trays are all made from it, which is why they sit so snugly
- Veneers and crowns are built from the digital file, so there is no physical mould to warp between here and the lab
- Two scans taken a few months apart can be overlaid to reveal tooth wear or drifting
Guided Surgery: The Plan, Carried Out Exactly
The CT data and the iTero model are merged in the software, and the implant position is chosen on screen well before surgery. From that plan a guide is 3D-printed to sit on your teeth or gum, and on the day the drill is physically limited to the angle and depth already decided.
- Nothing is improvised in the chair, since every decision was settled in advance
- When there is enough bone, a small punch in the gum can replace a long incision, and most people swell less as a result
- For full arches, the custom guide is part of the Premium Guided Zirconia pathway, where fixed temporary teeth can be made ahead and fitted on the day if the implants hold firmly enough 1
- The implants we use are MegaGen AnyRidge. The AnyRidge implant holds the CleanImplant Trusted Quality seal, which applies to the product rather than to our practice
- Every implant we place is covered by a 5-year guarantee for non-smokers who attend hygiene visits every 3 months
Digital X-Rays, at a Lower Dose
Instead of film, a slim electronic sensor captures the image. It needs less radiation, and the picture is on the monitor within seconds, so we can go through it together before you have even sat up.
- A lower dose than film for an equivalent image
- Zoomed in on the monitor, so the cavity or bone loss we are pointing to is plain to see
- Easily shared, securely, with Ninewells or another practice should a referral be needed
- Where an X-ray is not already part of your treatment, a small one costs £10 and a large one £75
Airflow Cleans Without So Much Scraping
A fine jet of warm water, air and a very soft powder is swept across the teeth to lift away plaque and surface stain. Pretty Wilson, our hygienist, uses it at hygiene appointments, so there is far less scraping and your teeth feel glassy smooth afterwards.
- Kind to implants, crowns and the small Invisalign attachments on your teeth
- Gets into the spaces between teeth where a brush never quite reaches
- Most people find it easier to sit through than the traditional spinning rubber cup
- Thirty minutes of hygiene including Airflow costs £100, or add Airflow to a visit for £30
The scanner is the easy part. The plan is what counts.
No piece of equipment stands in for a thorough examination or an honest conversation about what you are hoping for. What the technology adds is measurement before commitment, and the evidence on a screen rather than a request to take our word for it.
See Your Own Scans, Explained
At your implant or Invisalign consultation, the dentist sits with you and walks through your images on screen. Whether you have come along Brook Street or across the Tay from Newport, the scan and the discussion happen in a single visit.
All of the equipment above lives at 196 Brook Street, Broughty Ferry. Invisalign, iTero and iTero Lumina are trademarks of Align Technology, Inc.; MegaGen and AnyRidge are trademarks of MegaGen Implant Co., Ltd.