A report on the Carivu
I purchased a Carivu decay detector about a month ago. This is a device where a bright light is shined through the tooth, then an image is picked up and recorded. Carivu does not replace x-rays but does show evidence of early decay, especially between the teeth. With thicker enamel, decay can be difficult to pick up in the early stages on some patients.
I’ve had fun learning all about this new machine. There are buttons to turn the camera on, save the image, change the tooth number for the image – all on the same wand. If an assistant is available, this process goes much quicker.
With just x-rays, there can be just a smudge on the x-ray, and this is often not enough to confidently diagnose a cavity on a tooth. I like to be VERY certain, so I have been conservative on diagnosing some of these decay lesions. Some of the smudges show decay on the x-rays, whereas on other x-rays there is no sign of decay. The bottom line: this really is a great addition to the general dentist’s arsenal of tools for diagnosing decay!