The Digital Dentistry Revolution

If you're interested in dentistry as a career you've probably already heard the term, "digital dentistry." But what is digital dentistry? What does it do and why, as future dental practitioners, do we need it for our patients? Although this post won't be exhaustive, it will aim to point out some of the more prevalent areas where digital technology is being applied to modern dentistry.

Much as it does for the rest of society, the introduction of technology into the lives of dentists have made procedures faster, easier, more accurate, more comfortable for the patient and more productive for the operator. Although the term, "digital dentistry," is not well defined, it generally refers to anything which has traditionally been done by hand which can now be done with the assistance, in one form or another, of technology. Until recently this has proven difficult because dentistry, which is a delicate mix of art and science, is difficult to replicate with machines. However now there are many procedures and techniques which can be aided with the use of technology. Some of these technologies include, but certainly are not limited to; CAD/CAM restorations, cone beam CT, computer aided implant dentistry, digital x-rays, electric handpieces, lasers, intra-oral cameras, and patient and practice management systems. Although all of these technological developments have had a profound impact on the art and science of dentistry, below, I will elaborate on three areas which I believe have had the most profound impact; intra-oral cameras and CAD/CAM restorations, digital x-rays, and patient and practice management systems.

Intra-oral cameras and CAD/CAM restorations

Previously, if a patient needed a crown, a long and slow road was ahead of them. To deliver a crown to a patient typically took no less than three visits to the dentist over a period which usually spanned weeks. This was primary due to the fact that a dentist would have to first prepare the tooth for the crown, then take an impression to send to an external lab so the crown could be made, then finally fit the crown, each at a separate visit. This is obviously less than ideal for both patient and clinician. However, with the advent of intra-oral cameras and CAD/CAM systems (such as CEREC) a crown can be delivered in a matter of hours. This has lead to many dentists offering crowns in only one appointment. These systems work by the dentist preparing the tooth for the crown in a traditional sense, then using a intra-oral camera to scan the prepared tooth surface, finally a machine makes the crown from a block of ceramic; all while the patient waits. Check out this video below from Dr. Barbra Kane which explains the process from beginning to end.

Digital X-rays

Another new and exciting development in the world of digital dentistry is the introduction of digital x-ray technology. The best way to explain digital x-rays is that it is like taking a digital photo. No film is required, there is no wait time after the x-ray is taken so if the first x-ray needs to be redone it can happen immediately, the x-ray can automatically be kept on a digital database, the x-ray can be easily viewed on a computer, and perhaps most importantly digital x-rays require far less radiation than traditional dental x-rays. In fact, according to Dental Economics, a dental related publication, digital x-rays deliver only 10% of the radiation dose of traditional film x-rays. No matter how you look at it, just like digital photos, digital x-rays have everybody smiling!

An Example of a Digital X-ray system compliments of Atlantic Avenue Dental.

Patient and Practice Management Systems

Although it might not seem obvious, being able to keep patient records on computers has both saved time, energy, waste, and also made dental records more efficient. Everyone is familiar with the traditional manila folder full of a patients dental records. Here, a busy dentist scribbled down what little information that he or she could after an appointment just prior to seeing the next patient. This made managing both the practice and patient records unruly. However, with the digitization of such records, dentists are easily able to keep complete, neat, and up to date records with the press of a button. There are also great features integrated into software packages that allow x-rays and other patient information to be kept readily on hand. So long paper!

Above are just a few of the more modern and prevalent digital dentistry systems that are being adopted by dentists practicing across America and throughout the world. I'm very excited by what these and other new systems will mean for me and my patients in the future when I finally begin practicing dentistry.