Innovative tools and workflows in many dental practices have helped the dental industry grow through better diagnostics and treatments powered by digital workflows.
Using digital X-rays empowers dentists to gain a more exact intraoral and extraoral picture of the teeth, thus effecting more precise diagnosis and treatment. Artificial intelligence can be applied to screen for gum disease and tooth decay so early treatment may be performed to avoid them ‘blossoming’ into major problems.
Digital X-rays
Digital imaging has a lot of benefits over film-based x-rays: better quality of image, much less time to produce and develop the images in the room, vastly less waste, and much less radiation is received by those being exposed than with film-based x-rays.
Digital X-Rays Are Chemical Free And Instantaneous
You won’t sit there for 10 minutes while a dental assistant washes and drys rolls and rolls of your highly contaminated film in a chemical bath, nor will you have to wait until your pictures are ready for your dentist to make findings. With digital x-rays, they show up on screen almost immediately.
Better than a photo; digital x-rays are much clearer than film x-rays so that the dentists in Plano and Garland can see them very clearly. A lot of things can be wrong in your mouth, such as, tooth decay, gum disease or the whole heath issues present. That is the reason digital x-rays are much improved and can show the small abnormalities very safely and quickly.
Unlike film radiographs, digital x-rays can be easily shared electronically with specialists and laboratories, and workflow is not held up waiting for film to be developed because it invariably already exists in a digital file. Collaboration with other members of the caregiving team is facilitated, which in turn promotes better patient outcomes. A cloud-based practice management system offers similar ease of access to patient data. Information is available in an instant – from anywhere!
3D Printing
In-house 3D printing allows dental labs and clinics to save on expensive outsourcing and shipping time, as well as allowing for same-day production of in-chair dental restorations, reducing patient wait times.
The second example is dental CAD/CAM software and 3D printing technology, thanks to which a dentist can make reproductions of patients’ teeth to provide more efficient treatment of various dental problems. Another case is laser appliances which enable dentists to detect dangers and signs of cavities in early stages and to prevent invasive and painful expensive treatments in a later stage.
Orthodontic appliances, such as clear aligners that are used to straighten teeth, and occlusal guards, which are custom-fitted to protect the teeth and jaw, can be produced quickly. This saves production time and can enhance patient comfort and satisfaction. Dentistry-related 3D printers can quickly produce surgical guides that leverage patient data to improve precision placement of implants, minimising complications and eliminating risks. And, while 3D printers cannot literally print material out of thin air, they can print personal protective equipment on demand, thereby reducing stockpiles and increasing emergency readiness.
Artificial Intelligence
Another promise is that other forms of artificial intelligence (AI), computer software that clinicians can use to aid clinical decision-making by processing, interpreting data and accessing medical knowledge, can have an equally huge positive impact in medicine, and there is evidence that we are already seeing the benefits of this in dentistry.
Example: Dentists can use diagnostic tools that use AI to identify gum disease, oral cancer and temporomandibular joint problems much more precisely than before. AI also allows for surgical robotics that help docs perform procedures more quickly and with fewer mistakes; and AI tools to streamline workflows and other aspects of the process, such as wait times, to improve patient experiences.
Yet it cannot replace everything. First, the human element – such as empathy – holds an important place in an office environment crisscrossing with people who have unique needs. True, a patient may have a unique history; indeed, she may have unique health concerns. Yet how many of them can a robot fulfil? So expect the blueprint for the ‘office of the future’ to continue mingling bleeding-edge technological advancements with the personal touch we’ve always valued.
Virtual Reality
Another unexpected use of mixed-reality tech can be found in dental-technology simulation systems that allow dental-student trainees to don a headset to view what technologists call an ‘impostor mouth’. Using cameras that track their movements, these systems give students real-time feedback on procedures they try to perform.
Especially, it will make the medical procedures less mysterious to the patients and it can bring into their cognition how they work, which can make the patients follow ther recommended treatments by their providers with more trust. Also, VR technology could be used for training dental hygienists and dentists, especially for using new equipments as let them practice in clinical environments before.
Intraoral scanning technologies will provide super-detailed digital images of teeth and soft tissues for more accurate diagnosis, more precise treatment planning and easier fabrication of restorations. They will also enable more remote access to dental care, using teledentistry services that bring dental care into those rural and remote areas – a truly transformation of patient experiences while making all industry operations more economical. This is the future of dental technology, creating a brighter patient experience while making all operations in the industry more economical.
