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Dental Technology in Mill Creek, WA

At Progressive Dental Group Mill Creek, digital and CAD/CAM dentistry is part of how the whole team works, not a gadget one dentist keeps in a back room. That shows up in the equipment patients actually sit next to during an appointment, not just in a brochure.

The office uses digital X-rays, an intraoral scanner, a CEREC milling unit, and an NV Laser inside the same space where patients check in. A damaged tooth can be scanned, designed, and milled into a finished crown before a patient leaves, with no trip to an outside lab and no second visit two weeks later. Patients from Mill Creek, Bothell, Everett, and the surrounding 98012 communities use this equipment for routine exams as well as same-day restorations.

Have a question about any of this before booking? Call (425) 368-0608 or request an appointment online.

Dental Technology at Progressive Dental Group

Here's what each piece of equipment actually means for an appointment:

Dentists with continuing education in CAD/CAM dentistry

The dentists at Progressive Dental Group have pursued continuing education in digital and CAD/CAM dentistry. When one of them designs a CEREC crown on screen, they’re working with a system they’ve studied specifically, not one they picked up on the job.

Crowns are designed and milled in this office, not sent to an outside lab

A traditional crown is usually sent out to a dental lab, and the patient wears a temporary crown for one to two weeks while it’s made. The CEREC system lets the same team scan, design, and mill a crown in Mill Creek, often in a single visit.

Digital images move to specialists and insurance companies without a re-scan

X-rays and CEREC scans are stored on the office computer system. If a specialist or an insurance company needs a copy, staff send the file directly. Patients aren’t asked to sit for another X-ray because a record got lost in the mail.

The NV Laser reduces the need for anesthesia on certain procedures

Cold sores, canker sores, and some soft tissue work can be handled with the NV Laser instead of a scalpel and a shot. Fewer numbing injections make an appointment easier, especially for patients who already feel anxious about a visit.

Digital X-Rays in Mill Creek, WA

Digital X-rays are the starting point for almost every exam at this office. Instead of physical film, the sensor sends an image straight to a computer screen in the room, usually within seconds.

The radiation dose is about 90% lower than older film X-rays. That difference matters most for patients who need X-rays taken regularly over many years, and it matters to the team standing near that equipment all day too.

Digital sensors also skip the chemical film processing older X-ray machines needed, so there’s no darkroom chemical disposal to manage. Because the images are digital, they live on the office computer system instead of in a paper folder. Switching dental offices, getting a second opinion, or an insurance company asking for documentation all become same-day requests instead of a mailed envelope.

CAD/CAM Digital Scanning: Impressions Without the Tray

Ask anyone who has had a metal tray of thick putty pressed against their back teeth for two full minutes, and they’ll tell you it isn’t the favorite part of a dental visit.

The tool the practice’s dentists use for this step is a handheld intraoral scanner rather than a tray. The wand passes over the teeth and builds a 3D image on the chairside monitor as it goes, usually finishing in a few minutes.

That scan becomes the working file for a same-day CEREC crown, for planning an implant-supported crown where appropriate, or for a case that still needs to go to an outside lab. Either way, no one is holding a mouth full of putty while it sets.

CAD/CAM Milling: The In-Office Restoration Mill

Once a tooth is scanned, the same CEREC system designs and mills a restoration on site out of a metal-free ceramic block, matched to the shade of the surrounding teeth rather than a generic color. This equipment is used for crowns, and the material can also be milled into fillings.

Design. The scan data appears on a chairside monitor, where the dentist adjusts the shape and bite contact before anything is manufactured. Patients can see the design on the same screen if they want to.

Mill. A small in-office milling unit uses diamond burs to cut the restoration from a solid ceramic block, based on that digital design. This step typically takes under twenty minutes.

Bond. The dentist checks the fit, adjusts the bite if needed, and bonds the finished restoration to the tooth with dental adhesive.

Because the restoration is designed and cut in the same building, there’s no temporary crown to wear and no second visit two weeks later to swap it for the permanent one. For pricing, insurance specifics, and whether a same-day crown is the right call for a particular tooth, see the Dental Crowns page.

How These Tools Work Together

None of this equipment works alone. A digital X-ray or an intraoral camera image flags a problem first. The intraoral scanner captures the tooth in 3D. The mill turns that file into a restoration. All of it sits on the same office computer system, so a specialist or an insurance company receives a digital file instead of a mailed copy or a re-shot X-ray.

That’s the short version of why this equipment matters more as a set than as any single machine.

NV Laser Dentistry

This office uses an NV Laser for a specific set of soft tissue procedures: cold sore treatment, canker sore (aphthous ulcer) treatment, and laser soft tissue contouring. The laser works by directing a narrow beam of light energy at soft tissue, which seals small blood vessels as it cuts.

Laser treatment for a cold sore or canker sore is quick, usually finished in a single short visit, and typically doesn’t require a numbing shot. For soft tissue contouring, the laser lets a dentist reshape gum tissue with less bleeding than a scalpel, which can mean a more comfortable recovery.

Intraoral Camera

An intraoral camera is a small wand with a camera on the end, about the size of a large pen. It lets a dentist show a patient, on the same monitor used for X-rays, exactly what a cracked tooth, a cavity, or worn enamel looks like up close, magnified well beyond what the eye alone can see.

Seeing the problem firsthand makes it easier to understand why a specific treatment is recommended, instead of taking someone’s word for it. The images also save to a patient’s digital chart, so a dentist can compare how a spot looks from one visit to the next. Because Progressive Dental Group is a family practice, this camera gets used at routine exams for patients of every age, not just before a big procedure.

Looking for teeth whitening or veneers? Those live on the Cosmetic Dentistry page. Routine exams and oral cancer screening are covered on the General Dentistry page.

Want to see any of this equipment in person, or have a question before booking? Call (425) 368-0608 or request an appointment online.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much less radiation do digital X-rays use compared to film X-rays?

About 90% less than older film X-rays. The sensor also sends the image straight to a computer screen instead of requiring chemical processing.
Most patients can. A few complex or multi-tooth cases still need a traditional impression instead of, or alongside, a digital scan. A dentist will confirm which applies to a specific tooth during an exam.
The scan becomes a digital design on a chairside monitor, which the dentist adjusts for shape and bite. A small in-office mill then cuts the restoration from a solid ceramic block using diamond burs, usually in under twenty minutes.
Not typically. Most insurance plans use the same procedure code for a crown whether it’s made chairside or sent to an outside lab, so coverage is usually the same either way. The office’s financial coordinators can confirm specifics for a given plan.
Cold sores, canker sores (aphthous ulcers), and some soft tissue contouring. It reduces the need for a numbing shot on those procedures.
No. The wand is about the size of a large pen and doesn’t press on the teeth the way an impression tray does. Most patients find it quick and painless.
Digital X-rays and the intraoral camera are used for patients of all ages, since Progressive Dental Group is a family practice. CAD/CAM milling is typically used on adult permanent teeth.
Yes. The office is located at 1025 153rd Street, Suite 102, Mill Creek, WA 98012, and regularly sees patients from Bothell, Everett, and the surrounding 98012 communities.

Book an Appointment

Progressive Dental Group Mill Creek

Questions about any of the technology on this page? The team is happy to walk through it before booking. Call the Mill Creek office, request an appointment online, or visit the New Patients page for what to expect at a first visit.

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