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The Perioscope: |
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This revolutionary
technology was developed for the treatment of Periodontal
Disease. It is a very new, and truly ground-breaking technology. |
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The technology is an
instrument called a Perioscope. It is an endoscope specifically
designed for exploration and visualization of the space under
the gum of teeth involved with Periodontitis - the periodontal
pocket. The instrument produces an image, on a computer monitor,
of the diseased tooth's root surface. |
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The Perioscope allows the
clinician to see the contents of the periodontal pocket and to
analyze the root surface of the tooth for disease causing
bacterial accumulations (plaque and calculus). By so doing, it
guides the clinician during the process of cleaning the root
surface free of its bacterial contaminations -- the treatment
for Periodontitis. |
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Also, it allows the
clinician to identify cracks, perforations and other disease
causing flaws of the tooth root's surface that are located under
the gum -- problems that used to require surgery to detect. |
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How does it work? |
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The Perioscope
consists of a 0.5mm diameter fiber-optic strand. The strand is
inserted into a sheath. The sheath conducts a flow of water
around the strand, to the strand's end. The end of the sheath
has a Sapphire lens that focuses on the tooth's root surface and
sends the image back through the fiber-optic strand to a
video-sensing chip. The image is then displayed on a monitor.
The Perioscope allows the clinician to see what could not be
seen before. |
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This is the
instrument that carries the fiber optic strand and sheath
containing the water flow and the video lens, into the
periodontal pocket. It has a hollow tube through which the
strand protrudes. The hollow tubes continue its length, towards
its termination, with only one half of the tube present. The
remaining half serves to hold the pocket wall away from the
tooth and the optics. The tube conducts the water flow that
flushes away blood and debris. |
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What's So Great About The
Perioscope? |
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Because of the
ability to see the diseased root surface, the Perioscope (often,
but not always) allows the clinician to treat Periodontal
Disease without conventional surgical therapies. Additionally,
the Perioscope allows the clinician to see what could not be
seen before during periodontal surgery. Now, surgical therapies
are far more effective and reliable than in the past. |
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Breakthroughs
that the Periscope has made in the everyday practice of
Periodontics: |
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- Increased effectiveness of
non-surgical treatment methods, and thus a reduction in the
amount of surgical therapy required for the treatment of
Periodontitis.
- Increased diagnostic accuracy;
which leads to an increased appropriateness of prescribe
treatment methods.
- Increase effectiveness of surgical
therapies which were limited by visibility problems.
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The Perioscope
has greatly increased the accuracy of periodontal diagnostics
and treatment prescription. Also, it has greatly increased the
effectiveness of non-surgical and surgical therapies. It has
created a shift in the nature of periodontal care. However, it
does not diminish the power of, or importance of, periodontal
surgical therapies. Ultimately, periodontal therapy is about
cleaning diseased tooth roots free of bacterial contamination,
and keeping them free of such accumulations. Periodontal
surgical therapy remains the most powerful of therapies to
achieve these goals.
The Perioscope
contributes to the ability to achieve therapeutic results that
are similar to, and sometimes better than, those achieved by
surgical therapies -- without the pain, disfigurement and cost
of surgical therapies. However, many periodontal disease
situations cannot be adequately resolved without surgical
therapy. |
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