User report Dr. Klewer

In times in which quality management is of growing importance, dentists are always interested in looking after the important items: Patient treatment. We are always trying to find objective and efficient methods to improve our workflows. Our objective is to make treatment as atraumatic as possible for the patient.

The correct assessment of caries is a major challenge for every dentist at the outset - especially if the treatment extends to areas close to the pulp. When it comes to caries detection, the dilemma arises of making the correct decision for the long term. The closer you get to the pulp, the softer the dentine feels. Dyes are not satisfactory here, as their application to the dentine close to the pulp or at the enamel-dentine junction leads to a false positive result due to the special morphology in this region, even in the absence of carious infection. This therefore renders unambiguous caries diagnosis impossible. Another disadvantage of this method is that the adjacent areas are also permanently stained. The classical test using a dental probe is also uncertain for the dentist, especially if your own diagnosis is not confirmed.

The modern FACE method (Fluorescence Aided Caries Excavation) gives dentists a new perspective from which to consider and assess the treatment situation. Illuminating the cavity using a light probe proves to be a simple and fast method. The extent of the bacterially infected dentine present is clearly visible, which, above all, provides the certainty necessary for its detection. We have been using Facelight in our practice for two months now because of its outstanding properties.

With Facelight, W&H supports rapid and reliable diagnosis of bacterially infected tooth hard substance.

The system consists of a light probe and filter goggles, which can be worn over normal prescription glasses. Using the Facelight light probe you simply illuminate the cavity - in much the same way as using a polymerisation lamp. The metabolic process taking place in the bacteria leaves porphyrins as a metabolic product. They present a clearly identifiable red fluorescence under violet light. Healthy tooth substance can be clearly distinguished by its characteristic green fluorescence. The dentist can see and clearly identify caries-infected areas, which can then be selectively removed as part of caries excavation.

Whereas healthy tooth substance is distinguished by a characteristic green fluorescence under the light probe, bacterially infected areas are clearly identifiable by their red fluorescence.