Scoping out the Teeth
How Amardent uses Near-Infrared to assess tooth wellness
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After a brief hiatus (read: giving our lawyers time to get comfy with us disclosing how our device works), it’s time to dive into the details of how Scout works.
Going all the way back to part 1 of this series, we mentioned that the root of dental decay is a mix of demineralization and erosion. The loss of calcium, or its retention, can determine huge parts of your oral health. While our eyes may not be able to see how much calcium is in your teeth, some cameras can.
Near-Infrared Spots Lost Calcium
When we think about imaging cavities, most of us will immediately jump to X-ray. Dental X-rays are the most commonly used tool to see cavities, but there are other choices as well. Since about the turn of the century, devices have been on the market that detect cavities not with X-rays, but with Near-Infrared (NIR) light. (Fun note: NIR is the same light that lets TV remotes work)
Devices like the Dexis Carivu and the Itero 5D can use NIR because cavities look different under infrared light, just like they look different on an X-ray. While X-ray looks for areas of low density where the radiation can penetrate more easily, NIR identifies areas of demineralization. When we shine NIR light on a tooth, the demineralized regions will glow brightly, while the rest of the healthy enamel will be dull and translucent.
NIR has a few advantages over X-ray. Firstly, no radiation, though a small win, can be meaningful for individuals like expecting mothers who want to avoid risks where possible. Secondly, a more pleasant experience, thanks to the lack of lead apron and painful bite-wing-thing. Finally, and most importantly, because NIR focuses on demineralization rather than broad loss of density, it catches issues much earlier than X-Rays. It’s this point that enables Scout to score your oral wellness effectively.
Scout Looks for Patterns
While X-Rays and other diagnostic devices excel at diagnosing issues during a dentist visit, Scout focuses on helping you take care of yourself so those issues never happen.
The first step to doing this is monitoring the mineralization cycles in your teeth. As we go through the day, and even the week, our teeth lose and regain calcium constantly. These cycles are natural and perfectly healthy, but they can also be important predictors of future issues. If there is a region of your mouth that has seen an unusual amount of demineralization and it hasn’t changed for weeks, then it might be worth taking a bit of extra care while cleaning that area. That’s where Scout helps.
Scout maps out the reflectance of your teeth weekly. By translating that reflectance to a predicted minerality score, we’re able to track different regions of your mouth and make predictions about changes in your behavior that might improve your health.
Best of all, Scout gets more accurate the longer you use it. By building up a history of your teeth, Scout can personalize your care and recommendations and potentially even reduce your risk of getting cavities by promoting good oral hygiene.
Let's Take Action Early
Just getting told that there might be a problem in your mouth isn’t enough. That’s why we built Scout to provide recommendations and actionable feedback.
When Scout detects an area is getting an unusually low score or sees an out-of-place demineralized spot, it uses a slew of analytical tools to determine which recommendations to make. Early on, that might be just a bit of extra brushing or focused flossing. However, sometimes, it’s just not enough to take on a change in oral health on your own. In those cases, professional advice is the best solution.
Scout has the ability to share images it takes with your dentist and, in the near future, we’ll be adding the ability to send your scans to a dentist immediately for feedback and advice. When it’s needed Scout will recommend sending those images along and then help you translate the Dentist’s advice into action, all without needing to go to the dental office in person.
Scout Maps More than Minerals
Loyal readers among you will note that by mapping mineralization, we’re only hitting half of the problem. Microbes, you say, are just as responsible for our oral wellness and the state of our teeth. You’re absolutely right, but that topic is complex enough to warrant another article. Don’t worry, though; Scout is absolutely ready to catch those microbes and figure out what they’re up to.
With that, we wrap up the explanation of how Scout can monitor demineralization and grade the basic parts of your oral wellness. Just one more entry and you’ll be an expert in the most cutting-edge dental imaging tool around.
In the meantime, take a look at Scout and stay tuned for more posts from your favorite non-dentist dental company!
Disclaimer: Scout is a wellness device, not a medical device. It is intended only for general health and wellness purposes, and it has not been evaluated, assessed, or approved by the FDA.
