Our technology
The tools that make your visit faster, clearer, and safer
Modern dentistry runs on better imaging, better sterilization, and better information sharing. Here's what you'll find at the Thomson Drive office.
Why technology matters in a small practice
Good tools don't replace a good dentist, they let a good dentist do better work, with less guesswork. Every piece of equipment in the Thomson Drive office is here for one of three reasons: it gives you a clearer picture of what's happening, it shortens your time in the chair, or it keeps you safer. If a new gadget doesn't move one of those needles, it doesn't earn a spot.
Carestream CS 9600 3D imaging
Seeing the whole picture before we start
Traditional dental X-rays flatten a three-dimensional mouth onto a two-dimensional image. Roots overlap. Bone depth is a guess. Nerve position is an estimate. For a routine filling, that's fine. For an implant, a difficult root canal, or a complex extraction, it isn't.
That's why we invested in the Carestream CS 9600, a cone beam CT system chosen for its image quality. It captures a true three-dimensional scan of your teeth, jawbone, nerve pathways, sinuses, and joints in under a minute, while you sit upright and still.
What it changes about your care
- Implants placed by plan, not by feel. We can measure the exact height, width, and density of your bone, map the position of the nerve, and plan the implant's placement and angle before the day of surgery. Shorter appointments, more predictable results.
- Root canals with nowhere to hide. Some molars have canals that simply don't show up on a flat X-ray. Finding them beforehand is the difference between a root canal that lasts and one that fails.
- Extractions and wisdom teeth with fewer surprises. We can see precisely how a root relates to the nerve or the sinus before we begin, which is exactly the information that keeps a routine extraction routine.
- Straightforward answers. The scan appears on the screen next to you. We can turn the image, slice through it, and show you what we're seeing. Most patients understand their own situation in about thirty seconds, no dental vocabulary required.
About the radiation
It's the first question most patients ask, and it's a fair one. The CS 9600 lets us select only the area we actually need to image rather than scanning everything by default, and it adjusts the dose to the patient, a child is not scanned like an adult. We take a 3D scan when it will meaningfully change your treatment, and not simply because we own the machine.
Why we invested in it
Practices can add 3D imaging cheaply. We chose the Carestream for its image quality, because a scan is only as useful as it is clear. Better images mean better decisions, and better decisions mean better dentistry. You can read more about how we use it to plan treatment on our cone beam 3D imaging page.
The phone that never goes to voicemail
The most useful technology in the building might be the one you never see: our smart answering and scheduling system. Call at lunch, at midnight, or on a Sunday and the phone is answered, your visit is scheduled into a real opening on our calendar, and you hang up with a confirmed time. The same system powers the online scheduler on our booking page, so you can book a real appointment 24/7 without talking to anyone at all. Treatment happens during office hours, Monday to Friday 8 to 5, but getting on the schedule never has to wait for morning.
Digital X-rays
Our digital sensors replace traditional film. The image appears on the chairside monitor in seconds, no chemical processing, no waiting around. There are two reasons that matters to you:
- Lower radiation. Digital X-rays use 80 to 90% less radiation than film. A standard set of bitewings is on par with the background radiation from a short flight to Charlotte.
- Clearer images. The dentist can zoom, brighten, and adjust contrast in real time, catching early decay or bone loss that film often hides.
- Instant sharing. If you're referred to a specialist or moving away from Lynchburg, your records travel electronically, no envelopes, no delays.
Intraoral cameras
Most dental decisions used to happen with you staring at the ceiling, trusting the dentist's word. The intraoral camera changes that. It's a pen-sized camera that photographs the inside of your mouth and projects the image on a chairside monitor you can see clearly. When the dentist points out a cracked filling or a small cavity between two molars, you see exactly what they're describing, and you decide whether to treat it now or watch it.
Digital impressions and scanning
For most crown, bridge, night guard, and aligner cases, a small handheld scanner replaces the tray of gooey putty most people remember from childhood. The scanner builds a 3D model of your teeth in a few minutes, no gagging, no waiting for impression material to set. The scan transmits to the dental lab the same day, which shaves three to five days off your turnaround. (For Invisalign treatment planning specifically, we use iTero, more on that on the iTero scanning page.)
Sterilization
This part doesn't usually come up at the dinner table, but it matters more than any single piece of equipment in the office. Here's the process every reusable instrument goes through between you and the next patient:
- 1. Ultrasonic cleaning. Instruments soak in a high-frequency cleaning bath that removes debris from places a brush can't reach.
- 2. Inspection & pouching. Each instrument is individually inspected and sealed in a sterilization pouch with a chemical indicator.
- 3. Autoclave at 273°F. The sealed pouches go into a pressurized steam autoclave that reaches 273 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to kill every microorganism on earth.
- 4. Weekly biological testing. Every week, we run a biological indicator (a sealed vial of bacterial spores) through the autoclave to verify it's still doing its job. Results are logged.
- 5. Single-use disposables. Gloves, masks, saliva ejectors, suction tips, water cups, and patient bibs are opened in front of you and thrown away after one use.
Records that stay with you
Your chart, your X-rays, your photos, your treatment notes, all of it belongs to you. If you move away from Lynchburg, switch dentists, or just want a copy for your records, we'll email you a digital file the same day you ask. Records that are easy to share make for better care across every office you ever visit.
Reviewed by Dr. Jihoon Kim, DDS, July 2026
Common questions
Frequently asked
- What is the Carestream CS 9600?
- It's our cone beam CT (CBCT) system. Instead of a flat X-ray, it captures a true three-dimensional scan of your teeth, jawbone, nerves, sinuses, and joints in under a minute while you sit upright. We use it to plan implants, find hidden root canal anatomy, and see how a tooth relates to the nerve or sinus before an extraction, so treatment is planned rather than guessed. It also lets us image only the area we need and adjust the dose to the patient.
- How much less radiation do digital X-rays use?
- Roughly 80 to 90% less than traditional film X-rays. A full set of digital bitewings is on par with the background radiation you'd absorb on a short flight. We also use lead-lined aprons and thyroid collars at every X-ray appointment.
- What is an intraoral camera and what does it do?
- It's a pen-sized camera that lets us photograph the inside of your mouth in close-up. You'll see what we see on the chairside monitor, a cracked filling, a small cavity starting between teeth, a gum recession spot. It turns guesswork into a conversation.
- Do you use digital impressions instead of putty?
- Yes, for most crown, bridge, and aligner cases. A small handheld scanner builds a 3D model of your teeth in a few minutes, no gagging on putty. The scan goes directly to the lab electronically, which shaves days off lab turnaround time.
- How do you sterilize instruments between patients?
- Every reusable instrument goes through ultrasonic cleaning, pouching, and steam autoclave sterilization at 273°F. Each load is monitored with biological indicators weekly. Single-use items (gloves, masks, suction tips, water cups) are opened in front of you and discarded after one use.
- Is the radiation from a 3D cone-beam CT safe?
- Modern dental CBCT machines use focused low-dose imaging, a single implant scan is roughly equivalent to a few days of background radiation. We only order a CBCT when it changes the treatment plan, like for implant placement or impacted tooth surgery.
- Can I see my own X-rays?
- Yes, we pull them up on the chairside monitor at every exam and walk through what's there. You can also request a copy any time, and we'll email or hand you a digital file. Your records belong to you.
- Do you share images with specialists if I'm referred?
- When a referral is needed (oral surgery, orthodontics, periodontics in complex cases), we send your digital X-rays, CBCT scans, and intraoral photos electronically so the specialist has everything before you walk in. Saves you a second imaging session and the specialist sees what we see.
- What software do you use for digital records?
- Denticon practice management, integrated with our digital imaging suite. Your chart, X-rays, photos, and treatment notes are all in one secure place, accessible only to the clinical team treating you.
We'd love to see you on Thomson Drive
Call, message, or schedule online, whichever's easiest for you.