Imagina in Monaco

Imagina is an annual technology show held in Monaco. This year it was entirely devoted to new dental technology like 3D and laser. These kinds of developments make dentistry one of the most innovative branches of health care. Manufacturers from 12 different countries presented their latest developments at the fair, which was opened by Prince Albert of Monaco. Old style scary drills are being replaced by lasers. Slovenian company Fotona has on show a new kind of laser which can be programmed to create the correct size and type of cavity. It can create holes which are circular, rectangular or even hexagonal. The advantage is that lasers do not create heat or vibrations so they are less painful than conventional drills. Korean company Vatech presented their latest dental imaging development. High resolution digital images are obtained using lower levels of X-rays, because the machine can adapt to each patient’s morphology and X-rays are only directed to the area of the mouth that needs to be shown. Brazilian company Gnatus have come up with new developments aimed at minimising patient stress and fatigue during dental appointments. One idea is a vibrating dentist’s chair and another is a system of different lighting effects. American company Invisalign presented their latest orthodontic aligners, which are transparent, removable and practically invisible. This system also does away with repeated appointments to have the braces adjusted. With a series of transparent aligners, each one slightly different, the patient wears each one for two weeks, before moving on to the next in the series. At the end of the treatment the teeth are re-aligned.