CariVu® & Spectra® Caries Detector Morgan Hill, CA

Our primary goal is to ensure that Santa Teresa Dental patients maintain healthy smiles throughout their lifetimes. With the help of the CariVu® as well as Spectra® Caries Detector, we maximize today’s modern diagnostic tools to find cavities at the earliest stages and stop them well before devastating destruction to the tooth occurs.

What are CariVu® & Spectra®?

CariVu® & Spectra® are two different technologies -- both aid a clinician with early cavities detection. They are both lightweight and portable. They use digital images to show patients and clinicians exactly where decay is present on the tooth.

How Do They Work?

CariVu® uses a patented transillumination technology. By hugging the tooth and bathing it in a safe, near-infrared light, it's transillumination technology makes healthy enamel appear transparent while porous lesions such as cavities trap and absorb the light. It allows the clinician to see through the tooth exposing its structure and the actual structure of any carious lesions with very high accuracy.

Spectra® uses a color-coded reading – green, blue, red, and yellow – to indicate the level of decay present. For example, a healthy tooth will appear green while areas of decay may be evident in red.

When the patient can visualize the health of the tooth, see precisely where the decay is and understand how extensive it may be, they are better prepared to make informed decisions about their oral health.

Moreover, when patients can actually see healthy as well as non-healthy areas on their teeth, they are further encouraged to practice good oral care at home.

Does it Hurt?

The process is non-invasive, painless, and fast. Images are saved in the patient’s record so suspicious areas can be carefully and closely monitored over time. Best of all, cavities can be addressed at their earliest stages, which means that removing the decayed area can be taken care of when the cavity is very small, which ensures that more of the natural tooth structure remains untouched and healthy.