The Denver Tech Center referred to by Coloradoans as "the DTC", houses not only the offices of big corporations, restaurants and hotels. It is also the home to dental practices that will be able to offer you a myriad of services. A DTC area Dentist should be able to offer you the latest procedures with the most innovative equipment available in the respective dentistry field, today.

New procedures, which a DTC Dentist should be able to perform, include tissue engineering, oral dermatology and a variety of cosmetic procedures.

The most innovative equipment available to a DTC area Dentist includes CAD/CAM Systems, new types of lasers, intraoral cameras, digital radiography and electronic anesthesia.

A DTC Dentist will explain oral tissue engineering as being able to "recreate missing osseous (bone) or dental structures or correct orofacial (oral/face) deformities" Here observations made by specialists regarding "tissue engineering": "Tissue engineering will have a considerable effect on dental practice during the next 25 years." (jada.ada.org) Also, "the future for regenerative and tissue-engineering applications to dentistry is one with immense potential, capable of bringing quantum advances in treatment for our patients." (http://jdr.sagepub.com)

It is a known fact that the best replacement comes from the original source. Thus, "This standard has led to the concept of engineering or regenerating new tissue from pre-existing tissue." (www.jdentaled.org) "There are three different tissue engineering approaches: conductive, inductive, and cell transplantation. The conductive approach makes the use of a barrier membrane to exclude connective tissue cells that will interfere with the regenerative process, while enabling the desired host cells to populate the regeneration site. The inductive approach uses a biodegradable polymer scaffold as a vehicle to deliver growth factors and genes to the host site. The growth factors or genes can be released at a controlled rate based on the breakdown of the polymer. The cell transplantation strategy uses a similar vehicle for delivery in order to transplant cells and partial tissues to the host site." (www.jdentaled.org)

The latest technology available to a DTC Dentist for tissue engineering involves computer simulation which allows "to mathematically model the complex interactions of tissue regeneration and repair to predict reparative outcomes." (www.cardiff.ac.uk)

It has been recently discovered that there is a connection between skin problems and internal ailments and dental disorders. Some of these include canker sores (mouth ulcers), burning mouth syndrome which primarily affects post-menopausal women, Koplick's spots for measles which appear as white spots inside your cheeks several days before the rash appears. Another symptom, which will initially appear inside your mouth, and which your DTC Dentist will immediately be able to diagnose through an oral dermatology examination is "freckles appearing surface of the lips, the gums and the inner cheeks can be the random normal mole, a normal variant in ethnic patients, a hallmark of a potentially cancerous gastrointestinal disorder (Peutz-Jegher's) or even malignant melanoma." (www.dermadoctor.com)

In this day and age there is no reason whatsoever to go around with ugly, stained, crooked teeth. Some of the most innovative dental cosmetic procedures, which a DTC Dentist will be able to perform, include teeth whitening using light, different types of veneers, bonding and gum contouring.

The very latest in dental equipment, which every DTC area Dentist should have in the clinic, include such apparatus such as air and micro abrasion systems which "offer fearful patients an alternative to drills and needles", in the treatment of cavities. (www.dentistry.com)

Another new piece of dental technology is the intra-oral camera. Your DTC Dentist "can use the image to explain a condition or procedure to the patient, or store it on a videocassette to track a particular condition over time." (www.dentistry.com)

Lasers are now being used to "zap" cavities instead of having to restore the tooth.

Digital radiography has replaced the conventional x-ray. Tiny sensors are placed inside the mouth "sending images by wireless methods directly to a computer screen. They can be viewed immediately or stored on a hard drive. This technology greatly reduces patient exposure to radiation." (www.dentistry.com)

A DTC Dentist may also use electronic dental anesthesia which emits "electric pulses to alleviate nerve sensation during common restorative procedures." (www.dentistry.com)

The new CAD/CAM System is currently being employed by your DTC area Dentist and "creates a digital image by scanning a die and then generates and displays a 3-dimensional restoration on the screen..allows CEREC dentists to eliminate physical impressions (dental molds) by electronically transmitting a digitally-scanned impression to the inLab laboratory of choice." (www.dentalcomare.com)

CEREC3D Dental CAD/CAM System - an intraoral imaging scanner for optical impressions. The optical impression has replaced the physical mold that a DTC Dentist would make of your teeth. Photo courtesy of: ADOEDO, for Wikimedia Commons.