Blog
Digital Dentistry – The Future Of Dental Care?
New technology has advanced quickly over the last few decades, transforming both the globe and our way of life. Our way of life has been tremendously improved by the digital revolution, from smartphones to smart cars. Dental care is not an exception as a result of these developments in the realm of healthcare. A new era of digital dentistry has begun. Dentistry is undergoing a major transformation as a result of the advent of new digital equipment, processing software, cosmetic materials, and potent manufacturing methods.
Among these, the introduction of 3D intraoral scanners is drastically altering dentistry. Both dental professionals and patients have greatly benefited from these changes, which have elevated services and care in ways we never could have envisioned. Dental offices and labs are becoming more and more aware of the value of going digital nowadays. Practices that embrace digitalization will eventually benefit significantly in terms of output quality, cost savings, and time savings.
What is digital dentistry?
Instead than using simply electrical or mechanical equipment, digital dentistry uses dental technologies or systems that include digital or computer-controlled components to perform dental treatments. The goal of digital dentistry is to make dental procedures more accurate and efficient while maintaining predictable outcomes.
The advancements in imaging, manufacturing, and software integration support dentists’ attempts to give their patients the finest care possible while making them as pleasant as possible. In this sense, the digital revolution is inexorable since it steadily replaces outdated processes with cutting-edge ones that are fast evolving and cause the least amount of disruption.
Some of the technologies utilised in digital dentistry include intraoral cameras, 3d printing, cad/cam, digital radiography, intraoral scanning, computer-assisted implant dentistry, cone beam computed tomography (cbct), dental lasers, and digital x-rays are just a few examples of the technological advancements in dentistry.
What are the benefits of going digital?
The usage of 3D intraoral scanners, a tool for taking digital imprints, is one of the outstanding technologies that has advanced the dental industry and is now becoming widely sought-after. Since its inception, numerous dental diseases may now be diagnosed and treated more quickly and easily, negating the need for labor-intensive manual operations. Here are a few key advantages that demonstrate why switching to digital dentistry is a good idea for your dental office.
1. Accurate outcomes and simpler processes
The precision of modern digital dentistry is improved at every stage of the workflow by reducing errors and uncertainties that can be brought on by human factors. With accurate scanning results and clearer information on the anatomy of the teeth for dentists in just one or two minutes of scanning, intraoral 3D scanners simplify the challenging process of taking a conventional imprint. In addition to providing visual interfaces resembling traditional workflows, CAD/CAM software products also automate stages that make it simple to spot and correct problems. If the dentist is not happy with the impression in a complicated clinical instance, they can easily remove and rescan the impression.
2. Improved comfort and patient experience
Improved patient comfort and experience is one of digital dentistry’s most significant advantages. For instance, due of the painful impression materials, the traditional impression can be rather unpleasant for patients. Intraoral scanners can significantly improve accuracy, productivity, and efficiency. There’s no need to expose them to uncomfortable items that could make them gag or worse. In just a few seconds, the patient’s teeth are scanned to produce an accurate report. Although first-time dental patients may not be able to explicitly identify the digital components of a diagnostic and treatment, they are aware that the procedure as a whole is quick, easy, and comfortable. As a result, patients will have much more confidence in the clinic and be more willing to return.
3. Saves money and time
Digital dentistry can result in more simplified processes and more effective dental operations. Saving time in a dental office can improve doctor and patient satisfaction. In comparison to traditional methods, quick impression taking with digital intraoral scanners lowers chair time and the fast image feedback & higher accuracy minimize the need for process retakes. Additionally, it eliminates the need to ship imprint materials to labs and lowers their cost.
4. Effective Patient and Lab Communication
Patients can easily see the effects of their treatments and their progress thanks to digital solutions. Doctors can better connect with and educate patients by providing them with real-time 3D images of their dental health, which are supplied using intraoral scanners. Patients also frequently perceive medical professionals that use digital imprint systems as being more skilled, accomplished, and modern. Patients are more likely to participate in the process and continue with their treatment programmes. The workflow between clinics and labs is also made simpler by digital technology, which gives flexibility to optimise for speed, usability, or cost, as appropriate.
Why it’s important to have digital transformation?
Some important advantages have already been addressed. Let’s consider the overall picture. As the world’s population ages, which is well known, more individuals are starting to pay attention to their dental health, which accelerates and grows the dental market and unquestionably represents a growth sector for dental services. Dental offices are becoming more and more competitive, and those that can offer the highest calibre patient care will succeed. Instead of accepting the status quo, dentists should make the finest technological investments to make dental appointments for elderly and frail patients as painless and comfortable as feasible.
Going digital is crucial for dental labs and practises for this reason. In addition, digital processes are safer and more hygienic than conventional workflows given the global epidemic. Patients from all around the world will be more likely to select medical facilities that employ digital technologies.
Make your dental practice more digital
In our high-performance culture, we demand that everything be quicker and more effective. To keep ahead of the competition, adopting innovative digital solutions will become crucial. Now is the ideal time to investigate how digital technologies might benefit your business, with thousands of dental clinics and labs using digital operations. One thing the pandemic has taught us is to reconsider our goals for our personal, professional, and multifaceted lives. Dental offices ought to be adaptable enough to take advantage of opportunities. So why not give going digital a try for your dental practise?
