How do dental patients find information on modern dental techniques available to them? To seek new treatment options, you must have information to get answers to your questions. What are BruxZir, LAPIP, LANAP, IPS e.max, Encode and MI paste? These are just some of the high-tech treatment modalities available to today’s dental patients. Are they for you?

The two major resources available for information are the internet and your local dentists. To answer your questions, you need to be prepared before you go to the dentist. The internet is a wonderful place to start your search for knowledge.

One major resource available is www.ada.org. This is the website of the American Dental Association (ADA), funded and supported by dues-paying membership from dentists throughout the country. This professional association of dentists is committed to the public’s oral health, ethics, science and professional advancement. Local ADA dentists belong to the Anne Arundel County Dental Society and the Maryland State Dental Association.

The ADA website has a patient section with searches to research most dental procedures, health issues and new technologies at your computer mouse click. Topics include A-to-Z public topics, careers in dentistry, tips on finding a dentist, how to find ADA member dentists, education videos and more.

Millennium Dental Technologies has a patient information section at www.millenniumdental.com, where information on Laser Periodontal Therapy and LANAP and LAPIP can be obtained.

You should do your research before scheduling a consultation with a general dentist or dental specialist to treat your dental problems, enhance your smile or retain your present health.

Come prepared to your dental appointment. Bring referral slips and dental records. Do you have your most recent X-rays, or have they been emailed to the consulting dentist’s office? Be prepared to fill out a medical and dental history form. Bring a written list of your current medical doctors and medicines you take. Get to the office early to give yourself plenty of time to fill out all forms. You don’t have to feel rushed. Write down and bring a list of questions you have about dental treatment options, technology, the timetable of care, etc. You need to be an active partner in your health care.

New dental techniques and technology allow for comparable end results to more traditional and conventional therapies. Successful results in dentistry are possible using different methods. See what today’s dentistry can do for you and your family.