Advanced Orthodontic Technology
Riolo Orthodontics employs cutting-edge orthodontic technologies such as 3D printing, CBCT imaging, and digital modeling.
What Advanced Orthodontic Technology Do We Use?
Dr. Riolo has been involved in research for many years, and his current interests involve custom orthodontic appliances and their use in maximizing the quality of treatment outcomes while reducing treatment time. We also have a special emphasis on aesthetic orthodontic solutions for our patients.
We have invested significantly in recent advancements and equipment, such as:
3D printing
Software for the fabrication of custom orthodontic appliances
Intraoral scanning to take the place of traditional dental impressions
Ultra-low dose CBCT focused field 3D imaging
Computer hardware and software to use these technologies to improve care for our patients
3D Printing Technology for Custom Braces
We use different photo-sensitive resin 3D printers in the manufacturing of both custom Clear Aligners and Custom lingual braces. We also use the Concept Printer from GE when 3D metal printing custom brackets for our lingual braces patients.
We are one of the leaders in North America in 3D printing custom orthodontic appliances. We use this technology to produce custom lingual braces that are highly individualized for each patient.
In-Office 3D Printing
We have about a dozen 3D printers that are used for a variety of purposes in our offices, including digitally designing and printing our own custom appliance systems.
How Do Intraoral Scanning and Digital Impressions Help Our Patients?
The 3M™ True Definition Scanner allows you to move into digital orthodontics with ease. Accurate and precise, the 3M True Definition Scanner supports open STL files, so we can:
Work with our orthodontic lab
Design and mill chairside
Share files with other health care providers
Order custom appliances, such as lingual braces, behind the teeth
Because your digital impressions are generated by 3M’s 3D-in-motion video technology, they feature extraordinary detail with industry-leading accuracy — providing more control and consistency than traditional processes.
In 2013, Riolo Orthodontics received the first True Definition intraoral scanner on the West Coast. We currently own two of these incredibly accurate scanners.
The Tru Def scanner enables us to “scan” our patient rather than take traditional intraoral impressions using impression material and trays. These scans are used to obtain digital models in order to create custom braces behind the teeth, truly invisible orthodontic treatment.
We also use the digital models scanned in our office to:
Record a patient’s bite before treatment
Compare pre-treatment models to post-treatment results
Fabricate appliances such as retainers
Order orthodontic appliances using 3D model data, both in-house and from third-party laboratories.
Riolo Orthodontics has the ability to produce more accurate digital models without messy PVS impressions using intraoral scanning. These digital impressions serve as an initial record of the patient’s malocclusion, can be used to produce diagnostic digital setups, and can be used to order orthodontic appliances, including custom lingual braces behind the teeth and Invisalign.
More accurate and more consistently accurate than leading systems on the market, the powerful 3D-in-motion video technology delivers full arch scanning in phenomenal detail. We can display digital impressions immediately for analysis and treatment planning, with secure cloud-based storage of unlimited patient scans and access to open STL (three-dimensional) files that can be readily imported into a variety of digital workflows for increased office productivity and efficiency. These efficiencies translate to time savings and improved treatment outcomes for our patients!
Digital Radiographs and CBCT Imaging
3D focused field imaging has become an integral part of orthodontics. Custom brackets like the bracket system may soon be constructed from 3D imaging data, like the data produced from the Kodak 9000c 3D.
This apparatus delivers:
Anatomically correct images with 1:1 measurement
The highest resolution images with the lowest possible X-ray exposure
The KODAK 9000 3D System’s focused field of view limits radiation to a specific region of interest, so our patients are exposed to the lowest possible radiation dose—in many cases, less exposure than a standard panoramic view.
Our KODAK 9000 3D has cephalometric imaging abilities, including revolutionary one-shot technology, which takes less than a second, thereby reducing exposure time and the risk of retakes due to patient movement.
With the KODAK 9000C 3D System, we can perform a wider range of diagnoses and treatments right in our office, rather than referring patients to imaging centers. Reduce multiple visits, prevent rescheduling issues, and enhance patient care with three versatile imaging abilities right at your fingertips:
Panoramic
Cephalometric
Focused field 3D imaging
ORTHO II – Practice Management and Patient Records
Edge from Ortho2 is more than comprehensive practice management, with imaging, communication capabilities, and a collection of time-saving tools. This software helps us to:
Schedule your appointments
Track your treatment and progress
Make appointments more timely and productive
With Ortho2’s Edge cloud technology, Dr. Riolo can access your patient record 24/7 and is never out of touch with the office or his patients. We can store exact images of patient statements, insurance forms, letters, or literally anything we wish to scan or capture by printing.
This information is easily accessible should our patients request an X-ray or a current statement to be sent electronically or to their general dentist.
What Is Precision Bracket Placement for Custom Braces?
Custom Precision Braces are preferred by Dr. Riolo to treat his patients. We employ a custom setup of the orthodontic brackets, which results in increased precision in bracket placement.
Traditional bracket placement involves the orthodontist hand-placing each bracket directly in the mouth. Accurate direct bracket placement is very difficult, if not impossible, even for the most experienced orthodontist. Precision bracket placement is an exciting advancement in orthodontics. It has a great benefit to the patient as it:
Improves patient comfort
Reduces the amount of time in the dental chair
Improves the accuracy of bracket placement
Reduces treatment time
To ensure accurate bracket placement and reduce treatment time, our office offers the precision bracket placement technique:
Brackets are mounted in the precise location on a patient’s 3D printed models
A special tray is fabricated to transfer the brackets to the patient’s teeth
Brackets are then indirectly bonded onto the patients’ teeth
This process ensures:
Accurate bracket placement
Improved patient comfort
Reduced time in the dental chair
Improved accuracy of bracket placement
Reduced treatment time
