Each year, dental offices all over the country work hard to create an environment that serves their teams and their patients well. With everything that goes into those strategies, there’s always one consistent element that is present every year: new innovations.

Technology continues to evolve in ways that make dental procedures simpler and more cost-effective. These breakthroughs can also make going to the dentist a less stressful experience for patients.

There are so many different innovations making news that Dentistry Today highlights their top 50 at the end of the year. This reader's choice list bases its recognition on the amount of lead generation produced by these great innovations.

Here are some of the notable choices from the list:

Improved DentiMax Dream Sensor System

The enhanced version of this sensor system comes with a tougher plate that can better handle situations when a patient bites down on it, or it falls on the floor.

It also features a more durable cord that now has Kevlar reinforcement. Dentimax co-founder David J. Arnett said they had not received any complaints about sensor fails following the addition of the Kevlar padding.

Other notable improvements include enhanced imaging that features less pixelation. It also works well with Windows-based software, especially Windows 10.

The A-dec 300 Dental Chair

A good chair is one that offers the patient a cozy experience and user-friendly features for the staff. This chair uses a virtual pivot in its back space to offer the patient some comfort.

For the staff, it features a versatile delivery space that makes it easy to have a right or left system of delivery. Along with the touchpads, light stems and foot controls, the dentist can add additional clinical devices as needed. See the A-dec 300 for more information.

The Picasso AMD Laser

The Picasso laser is an affordable, popular choice with dentists around the globe. It's known for its user-friendly design that provides dental staffs with a tool ideal for gingival troughing, implant recovery, periodontal treatments and more.

DrQuickLook's Portable Dental Assistant

What convenient technology list would be complete without some type of tablet? This PDA allows you to simplify a variety of tasks that saves time and engages the patient. With the internal software combined with features of a Microsoft Surface 3, you can:

  • Take and save thousands of images (intraoral and extraoral)
  • Transfer patient pictures from the device to internal management software
  • House a variety of video content (educational, post-op, etc.)
  • Use an interface with options to draw, engage quad views and much more

For more information, visit drquicklook.com.

Sonicare DiamondClean Smart Toothbrush and App

Remember when you gave patients those chewable red tablets that showed them where they needed to brush? Well, you can now recommend this Sonicare electronic brush and the app that goes with it.

This app can now track the patients cleaning progress and focus them on certain areas, just like the red tablets used to do. To reinforce the importance of cleaning, this app also features a virtual coach that gives the patient-specific instructions they might get from a dental hygienist.

The app complements an award-winning brush that is known to clean plaque 10 times better than manual brushings.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the items that made the list in 2017. You can click here to view the full list.