Introducing the Canary System
A new technology to detect early caries and monitor remineralization therapy
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What is The Canary System™?
The Canary System™ is a device for the early detection and monitoring of tooth decay. It can detect decay on smooth enamel surfaces, root surfaces, biting surfaces, between teeth and around existing amalgam or composite fillings. It is a pain-free, safe and non-invasive early detection system built on years of thorough research.
How does The Canary System work?
The Canary uses a low-power, pulsating laser light to scan teeth for the presence of dental caries or tooth decay. The laser light is absorbed by the tooth and two phenomena are observed: the laser light is converted into luminescence and there is a release of heat. This heat will not harm the tooth but gives us important information the tooth up to a depth of 5 mm below the surface. Simultaneous measurement of the reflected heat and light provides us with information on the presence and extent of tooth decay below the tooth surface before being detected by dental radiographs.
What happens when carious lesions are detected?
Early detection of dental caries allows decay to be halted or reversed using remineralization therapies. Therapies such as the application of fluoride can repair teeth by reconstituting the minerals into decayed areas.
What are the benefits of The Canary System™ over its competitors?
The Canary System™ can:
- Identify and monitor tooth decay without the need for dental x-rays
- Detect decay on all tooth surfaces including between teeth (interproximal areas)
- Detect decay in between teeth at an earlier stage than the traditional dental x-ray
- Detect decay as small as 50 microns (20 times smaller than a millimeter)
- Examine teeth for decay as deep as 5 millimeters below the tooth surface
- Offer a safe, non-invasive, painless and quick experience
Is The Canary System a new approach to dentistry?
Yes. The Canary Dental Caries Detection System progressively shifts the dental care approach from intervention (filling of cavities) to prevention. It is pain-free, safe, non-invasive and provides early detection of tooth decay. In short, it shifts the treatment endpoints from waiting for a cavity to break through the enamel shell before treatment to allowing the dentist to apply and monitor the changes with various remineralizing therapies.
Will earlier caries detection and remineralization therapy mean less "drilling and filling"?
Yes. With The Canary System, Quantum Dental Technologies provides the technology to detect and monitor these early lesions well before "drilling and filling" are required. Remineralization works best if there is some intact enamel. Once the decay has broken through the enamel shell a filling is required.
What is the research behind the technology?
The Canary was developed at the University of Toronto under the direction of Dr. Andreas Mandelis in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Abrams, a practicing dental clinician. Since 1999, the research group has published over 40 articles and abstracts in peer-reviewed dental and medical journals. They have also presented their findings at over 30 international conferences.
The Canary Dental Caries Detection System has been proven superior to the standard diagnostic tests for tooth decay. Our research has shown that the Canary System offers greater sensitivity and specificity than dental x-rays in detecting early areas of tooth decay.
What's wrong with current diagnostic technologies?
Current diagnostic technologies limit the ability of dentists to detect and monitor the early stages of tooth decay. The standard for detecting tooth decay is visual inspection, manual probing and X-rays, all of which are of little use if the decayed area is very small (or below the surface). Typically, 40 - 60 percent of the tooth surface in question needs to be demineralized before it is seen on a dental X-ray.
The Canary Dental Caries Detection System uses laser light to detect tiny lesions in teeth without patient exposure to radiation. It is pain-free, safe, non-invasive and a more sensitive device for the detection of tooth decay.
When will this system be available on the market?
The Canary System™ is now available in Canada and within the European Community. We plan to have The Canary System available in the USA in Spring 2012. Please click here to leave your name and contact information for ongoing updates.
Why the name "Canary"?
The "canary in the mineshaft" was used for centuries to protect people from undetectable hazards. Today, the word is synonymous with an early warning system or alert. Patients will recognize The Canary System™ as a painless, less expensive, friendly (hand-held tool, ergonomic ease and function, yellow in colour) detection system for cavities that reduces the need for painful fillings and needles.
Is it safe for use on patients?
The Canary detects tooth decay using only a low power laser light. In our clinical studies in patients, the rise in temperature is virtually undetectable either on the tooth or in the mouth. The Canary is a truly non-invasive detection device for tooth decay and does not involve the use of ionizing radiation.
What is PTR and LUM?
When laser light is shone onto the tooth, the system measures the level of glow (luminescence or LUM) and heat (Photo-Thermal Radiometry or PTR) released from the tooth. Laser light interacts differently with healthy teeth than with decayed teeth. By varying the pulse of the laser beam, a depth profile of the tooth can be created to permit detection of decay as deep as 5mm from the tooth surface and as small as 50 microns in size (20 times smaller than a millimeter).
Why is PTR and LUM such a unique technology?
The vast majority of the new technologies on the market today look only at the luminescence from the tooth. The Canary looks not only at luminescence, but also the photothermal effect of laser light on the tooth. By analyzing behaviour of both the luminescence and thermal radiation or heat, we gather very accurate information about the tooth's condition.
As lesions grow, the signal changes; as remineralization progresses, the signal indicates that improvement. The temperature rise on the tooth and in the pulp is no more than 1-2 degrees Celsius. There is no alteration of any of the tissues and no safety hazards such as those associated with dental x-rays. This is a truly non-invasive and safe technique for the detection and monitoring of early carious lesions.
What does The Canary System mean for patients?
For patients, the placement of a dental filling is a very invasive procedure which causes medium term trauma to the pulp or nerve of a tooth. Restorations do not last a lifetime, and there is a cycle of continued placement and replacement of fillings. Each new restoration gets bigger, larger and closer to the pulp of the tooth, finally leading to more invasive treatments including root canal, crown or even extraction.
This new system will:
- Provide early detection of small cavities, so that oral health care providers may remineralize the enamel shell and avoid filling placement;
- Be less invasive and safer than traditional approaches for detection and monitoring early stage tooth decay;
- Extend the natural lifecycle of the tooth by providing an opportunity to remineralize the lesion, thus avoiding the placement and replacement of fillings in teeth with the other potential risks this entails;
- Focus on prevention as opposed to intervention;
- Reduce the cost barriers to dental services by treating emerging "cavities" before invasive and more expensive technologies are required.
What does The Canary System mean for dentists?
For dentists, The Canary System will provide a new source of patients needing care. New practice delivery models will allow dentists to provide the diagnosis but have other clinical staff (dental hygienists or dental assistants) perform scans and deliver remineralization therapies. The Canary will engage both dentists and patients in detecting and monitoring their own oral health preventive program.
What does The Canary System mean for the health care system?
For the health care system, earlier detection of caries will ultimately save time and money. Good oral health care is linked with whole-body health care. Avoiding or delaying the placement of a filling preserves the integrity of the tooth and the entire dentition.
Questions?