On-Site Facilities

Whatever your dental and oral health care needs, Smiles at Doral has the state-of-the-art on-site facilities to provide prompt and effective treatment.

Digital X-ray

We have the latest technology in digital radiography. This technique uses an electronic sensor (instead of X-ray film) to capture and store digital images of your teeth on a computer. Dr. Del Puerto can instantly view and enlarge images, helping her to detect problems easier, such as:

• Abscesses, cysts, or tumors
• Bone loss
• Decay between the teeth
• Developmental abnormalities
• Gum disease
• Impacted teeth
• Problems inside a tooth or below the gum line

If you are a new patient, we will typically do a full-mouth X-ray, which is a set of 18 different images that shows all of your teeth and surrounding bone. This helps Dr. Del Puerto get a good understanding of the status of your oral health, detect problems, and create a treatment plan. After that, she will recommend bitewing X-rays, which includes 4 images, on an as-needed basis.

Full-mouth and bitewing X-rays are obtained from inside your mouth. Smiles at Doral also performs panoramic X-ray, which is a machine that rotates around your mouth and jaw from the outside. The result is one large image of your teeth and jaws.

Dr. Del Puerto may order this type of X-ray if she suspects a bone abnormality or fracture, cyst or tumor, impacted tooth, or infection. Panoramic X-ray may also be helpful when planning for treatments such as dental implants, dentures, and Invisalign®.

Dental X-rays are an essential preventive and diagnostic tool that provides valuable information not visible during a regular dental exam. Dr. Del Puerto uses this information to detect hidden dental problems and design an effective treatment plan.

Detecting and treating dental problems at an early stage can save you time, money, and unnecessary discomfort – not to mention your teeth!

iTero® Impression Systems

In the past, creating impressions of your teeth and gums used to be a messy task. But now there’s the Cadent iTero Element® digital scanner, a precise, sophisticated, and minimally intrusive system in which the tip of a handheld wand is the only thing that touches your teeth.

The iTero impression system uses 100,000 points of laser light to take a series of scans that are then stitched together to create a 3D virtual model of the target area, your adjacent teeth, and your bite.

Unlike traditional dental impressions that are messy, taste bad, and cause gagging or discomfort, iTero replaces the tray and putty system with convenient digital imaging. This advanced technology enables Dr. Del Puerto to deliver progressive dental care while providing you with the utmost comfort.

By placing the small, handheld iTero wand gently in your mouth, the system captures highly detailed images and dimensions of your teeth and gums. These images appear instantly on a monitor, where they can be reviewed by Dr. Del Puerto and sent to our lab technician for use in fabricating your custom dental work.

With iTero digital imaging, we can achieve a flawless fit for custom crowns, bridges, and other restorations while avoiding the mess and discomfort of outdated techniques.

The benefits of iTero include:

• It is more precise than a traditional dental impression.
• It takes only 3-5 minutes to complete a scan and less time than a tray impression.
• It allows you to take a break during the impression process, if necessary.
• It’s comfortable and safe.
• It uses concentrated light, not radiation.

Oral Cancer Screening with ViziLite® Plus

Oral cancer is a dangerous, yet somewhat preventable, type of cancer. Statistics show that in about 10% of patients, dentists are the first to notice a problem area. Dr. Del Puerto and the staff at Smiles at Doral know that early detection is the key to successful outcomes, which is why our practice has incorporated ViziLite Plus, the new standard in detecting oral cancer.

This noninvasive technology uses a special fluorescent light to improve Dr. Del Puerto’s ability to detect, evaluate, and monitor any suspicious areas of the mouth at their earliest stage before they can become more serious and potentially life-threatening.

During your periodic dental examination, Dr. Del Puerto will inspect your whole mouth, searching for a flat, painless, white or red spot or small sore. Other signs of oral cancer include: a sore that bleeds easily and doesn’t heal; a color change of the oral tissues; a lump, thickening, rough spot, crust or small, eroded area; or pain, tenderness, or numbness anywhere in the mouth or on the lips.

Two different tests are used to determine if the spot is cancerous or not. A brush biopsy is a painless test performed on areas that look harmless or do not have a clear cause. Its purpose is to detect potentially dangerous cells when the disease is still in an early stage. A scalpel biopsy is typically performed on any suspicious and dangerous looking areas. Remember to visit our office regularly. If you notice any unusual changes in your mouth, call us immediately at (305) 597-2227.

State-of-the-Art Dentistry in Doral, Florida

To experience the advantages of our advanced on-site facilities, schedule an appointment with Dr. Del Puerto by calling Smiles of Doral today at (305) 597-2227 or use our convenient appointment request form.