I grew up in another time of dentistry. I am stunned by the technological changes making dentistry a different and increasingly painless experience. I dreaded going to the dentist. I don’t any longer.

We all squawk at times about technology and what it does for us; it’s easy sometimes to overlook the good.

Dr. Eddy Brown, who I saw as a child, was probably charming, but I always saw him as a pain-inducing sadist. My mouth is riddled with cavities because my grandparents ran a Ma and Pa store with lots of penny candy, and they always had a jar waiting for me.

Going to the dentist hurt, even with the laughing gas used on children. I am no stranger to dentistry, even though most of my teeth are in good shape today.

I have had two teeth removed in the past few years. One resulted in a failed implant (it took three years to fix the mess), and another is getting an implant now. It hurt.

I have an excellent dentist named Jacob Merryman, and it is fun to see him and the techs who work for him. Dr. Merryman is a man of faith, and part of his faith is to make dentistry comfortable and painless. He’s pretty close.

I’m getting another implant from him, and it doesn’t hurt.

Today, he was preparing my mouth for the dental crown that had to be made by specialists to fit over the screw and the hole in my lower gums.

The picture you see is the work of a brand new digital scanning technique in which the dentist moves a portable hand scanner around and takes a photo which makes the crown makers able to perfectly gauge the size and width of the crown, which will go over the implant screw.

It’s e-mailed instantly to the manufacturers of the dental hardware. They had it and started working long before I got home.

The dark tooth you see on top is the sight of a missing tooth that will be replaced with a different implant in the next few months. There is no tooth there; the scanner fills the space with a dark and different color.

I remember the last time I had an attempted implant, I had to bite down on some cold and squish liquid paste, which dried and was shipped to the crown specialists. Usually, it took two or three different attempts to get any crown right. It was uncomfortable.

Dr. Merryman moved his magic wand back and forth in my open mouth for just a few seconds and sent the photo as an e-mail to the people who would make the crown that covered the implant itself. It was completely painless.

I also noticed that Dr. Merrymany uses specialized needles for the novocaine that are so thin I can’t feel them; there was the tiniest pinch when he put the needle in.

Dentistry has always been rough and painful for many people, including me.

Dr. Merryman has my complete trust; he is intensely conscious of my pain and comfort level. He has a beautiful sense of humor and is committed to making dentistry as painless as possible. He has done this for me; I can’t speak for others.

This made me accept the idea of implants, and next year, I’ll have all of my teeth in place, which will make everything about eating even more comfortable. His techs have the same sensitivity for tooth cleaning, which I do religiously and consciously. I have a water flosser and an electric brush.

When a tooth is missing, it can throw off the adjoining teeth, which can move and affect the gums and eating. The new technology I see in Dr. Merryman’s office – x-rays that scan the entire mouth in one sitting and are so detailed dentists can spot trouble before it is apparent.

And it is painless and comfortable. With the new technology comes higher costs for dentistry. I live in America.

My teeth are in the best shape in years; the techs have new ideas for keeping aging teeth clean and straight, including new prescription toothpaste that strengthens the gums and the teeth. And their ideas work.

The distorted photo makes my mouth look worse, but the image will give the crown builders the most precise possible image of my mouth, making the insert almost simple and painless. I was impressed and wanted to share the experience.

For the first time in my life, going to the dentist is fun. And I’m wide open to the procedures and new tech that make my mouth and teeth healthier.