The Future of Dentistry: How Digital Technology is Changing the Way We Practice Dentistry

Digital technology significantly transforms nearly every facet of our everyday lives by bringing almost everything within reach of our fingerprints. The healthcare industry has made significant strides in digital technology, such as virtual patient visits and high-resolution digital scans. Digital technology in dentistry has been included. Noteworthy trends and digital dental tools make the practice exciting and more efficient.

If you have a dental problem, visit a dentist near you, and you will witness several digital dental tools in use. Advanced Dental of Westport, CT, offers Comprehensive Dentistry in Westport, CT, using the latest digital technology in dentistry. Their service is, therefore, effective, efficient, and affordable.

Leading Digital Trends in Dentistry

• • CAD/CAM (Computer-aided design and manufacturing) in dentistry

There has been a rise in CAD/CAM-assisted crowns and bridges, making delivering treatment and prosthetics easy. Previously, dentists have relied on analog tools making the process slow and expensive. Currently, they have been adopted by large medical laboratories due to their efficient and standardized methods.

3D printing in dentistry has made the dentist’s work easier. Technology makes it possible to replace same-day teeth since the work involved has significantly reduced. The dentist takes a 3D image of your mouth and sends it to the dental technicians to use it to design a specific prosthesis (crown, veneers, bridge, inlays, onlays, dentures, or implant-supported restoration).

The prosthesis is then 3D printed, making the process fast and with minimal wastage. Using digital impressions in dentistry is a game changer since the prosthesis perfectly fits existing dental structures. The dentist saves on the time and resources they would have used to create impressions manually. On the contrary, the patient saves on the number of visits to the dentist and enjoys an improved experience.

• • Virtual Reality in Dentistry

Virtual reality in dentistry solves two issues at a go. First, there is the fact that assistants or aspiring dentists have a chance to view the dentist as they perform different procedures. Unlike traditionally, when they had to peek over the shoulder of the surgeon, virtual reality camera allows surgeons to stream operations, enabling medical students to view the surgery live.

On the other hand, virtual reality helps calm anxiety in dentistry. Many patients have anxiety issues, especially when visiting the dentist. A patient only slips a headset on their head, and they start visualizing calming landscape while the dentist continues with different procedures in the oral cavity. There’s a tool called OperaVR, specifically used in dentistry to reduce dental anxiety.

Other Forms of Digital Technology Changing the Future of Dentistry

• • Digital Radiography

X-rays have been in dental offices for a long time, but technology has improved the process. Traditional x-rays took much time to give results because they required film processing, making the process slow and expensive. Digital radiography is faster since pictures can be seen on a computer screen. Also, the files are stored via the cloud, making sharing them among specialists easy. Digital radiography has less radiation exposure.

• • Teledentistry

Teledentistry makes dental care more accessible by eliminating patients needing regular dentist trips. The process becomes efficient and affordable for most patients. It gives patients without a local dentist great flexibility by accessing them online. Also, it’s a breakthrough for persons with special needs or the elderly. Teledentistry allows patients to have an appointment with the dentist from their homes. You also have access to professional dentists who are miles away from you.

Conclusion

The future of dentistry is changing rapidly across the globe, thanks to advances in medical technology. With every bit of innovation in the dental industry, several processes are made efficient, affordable, and worthwhile. Traditionally a visit to the dentist was marred with a lot of anxiety, but that has slowly changed. You can also visit a dentist and have teeth removed and replaced within a few days, which wouldn’t have been possible.

3D printers have made producing orthodontic models, aligners, and dental equipment faster and more precise. It improves workflows and accuracy and minimizes the labor and resources used.