Dr. Neal Patel, DDS, Takes a Revolutionary Approach to Creating "Infinite Smiles"

POWELL, Ohio, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Growing up in a family of physicians in the small farming town of Chillicothe, Ohio (renowned as "The First Capital of Ohio"), Dr. Neal Patel, DDS, felt that he was being groomed to follow in their formidable footsteps—yet his passions were equally divided between medical science, computer technology and the visual arts. Graduating from his youthful obsessions with Nintendo and X-Box, he was building his own computers by high school, and, as an intuitive, naturally gifted artist he developed a mastery of replicating paintings with pastels, chalk, crayons and paints.

Drawing on all of these distinctive influences, Dr. Patel — who received both his Bachelor's in Molecular Genetics and his DDS from Ohio State University — has emerged as a revolutionary force in contemporary dentistry. While implementing cutting edge technology in his own private practice — the Powell, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus) based, aptly named Infinite Smiles, launched in 2008. He also travels the world educating thousands of dentists around the globe on integrating two exciting, fast growing technologies.

Dr. Patel is one of only a handful of dentists in the U.S. trained on 3D Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), a medical imaging technique consisting of X-ray computed tomography where X-rays are divergent, forming a cone. It was developed by Sirona, the world's largest manufacturer of dental technology. The other technology, CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics), allows dental practitioners to produce an indirect ceramic dental restoration using a variety of computer assisted technologies, including 3D photography and CAD/CAM (computer aided design and manufacturing). With CEREC, a software and machine that can design a tooth (crown) and mill it in a single visit, teeth can be restored in a single sitting with the patient, rather than multiple sittings required with earlier techniques. 

Dr. Patel is known on an international level not only for using CAD/CAM and Cone Beam, but also for understanding the complexities of getting the two technologies to work seamlessly together.

In addition to providing regular dental services, from routine care to the latest in cosmetic enhancements and restoration, Dr. Patel and his team at Infinite Smiles employ CBCT, CEREC and many other powerful, innovative tools that are changing the business of dentistry. Among the modern technologies used at the state-of-the-art facility are digital X-rays, Galileos 3D imaging, Velscope for Oral Cancer Detection, BioPAK for TMJ Pain/Headache Diagnosis and Treatment, Anatomage 3DVirtual Surgery, Itero Digital Impressions, the Florida Probe for Periodontal Diagnostics and Waterlase Laser.

In addition, for guided surgeries, the combination of CT scan technology and 3D imaging provides a 3D image for all the teeth, bones, nerves and sinus cavities.

Because many dentists around the world own equipment manufactured by Sirona—the company that has been in the forefront of these emerging technologies—they often attend classes that are sponsored by the company to educate themselves on the latest software, products and equipment available. Dr. Patel travels extensively in the U.S., Canada and Europe and has even gone to Australia to train clinicians on how to use the equipment. Sirona and its distribution companies that provide these items for dentists often organize events in larger cities, inviting anywhere from 30 to 500 practitioners.

Dr. Patel's expansive vision for Infinite Smiles grew out of his passion for the technologies he has helped develop, implement and teach. It made sense to incorporate them into the facility and they were ready to go when he first opened the doors.

"My business philosophy was simple," he says. "These are the dental services I would want for myself, so that's what my patients deserve. There was risk involved but I believed in the technology so much that I knew my patients would benefit. Limiting myself technologically, not having all the possible instruments available to do what I do best would be like asking an artist to draw or paint a scene with only two colors.

"At Infinite Smiles," Dr. Patel adds, "we're working with a full palette. Our name came from the fact that we are not limited by anything. For us, Infinite Smiles lead to endless possibilities."    

Read more at http://infinitesmiles.com/meet-our-team

SOURCE Dr. Neal Patel, DDS