How Patients and Practitioners Benefit From Digital Dental Solutions
From a long-term viewpoint, advances in dentistry were slow until 1984, when technology used in design led to innovative digital dental solutions. In that auspicious year, a French dentist named Dr Francois Duret hit on the idea of applying CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacture) principles to create dental impressions. Duret’s eureka moment justifiably earned him the title of the godfather of digital dentistry.
During the intervening 40 years, further advances in digital electronics have enabled numerous new applications for dentists and a range of fascinating specialised digital dentist equipment that offers valuable benefits for patients and practitioners alike.
Digital dentistry is a catchall term that can be applied to any dental technology that involves the use of a computer. The term covers instruments used by dentists for 2D and 3D imaging and scanning, digital design, milling and 3D printing. The following paragraphs will explore some of these and how they benefit dentists and their patients.
Examples of Digital Dental Solutions in Action
Digital dentistry tools serve two fundamental purposes. Some are primarily diagnostic tools or used to manufacture dental restorations, while others have a role in both types of activity. We will now explore some of the latest in dental imagery and its benefits in more detail:
- Intraoral diagnostic cameras: These compact hand-held instruments enable dentists to capture high-definition digital photographs of areas in the mouth that are difficult to reach. When displayed on a monitor, dentists can use these detailed images to develop treatment plans and as a visual aid when explaining them to their patients. The photos can be added to their patients’ digital records for instant access from anywhere with WiFi. Models like the Acteon C50 offer unprecedented vision with daylight mode for ultra-precise diagnosis.
- Intraoral X-ray cameras:Although a little bulkier than diagnostic cameras, they are wall- or chair-mounted devices designed to deliver reproducible, high-quality images that can be viewed instantly or recorded on films while generating far less radiation than bulky conventional systems. The Belmont Belray II offers adult, adolescent, and child presets or manual override and easy switching between film and digital imaging.
- Cone beam computer tomography: A dental cone beam CT is a specialised form of X-ray equipment used to simultaneously produce 3-dimensional images of teeth, nerve paths, soft tissues and bones. It is used only when regular dental and facial X-rays are insufficiently informative, as tomography generates significantly more radiation than these methods. The Acteon X-Mind Prime CBCT employs cutting-edge technology to provide all the 2D and 3D panoramic exams necessary for general dentistry. It can also be used to scan stone models and impressions.
- Dental CAD/CAM: This 21st-century application of Dr Duret’s fledgling concept is one of the most significant digital dental solutions to date. Products like the Planmeca FIT system can be integrated seamlessly with an intraoral camera, capture images and utilise the CAD/CAM software to generate the 3-dimensional models used by a milling machine or 3D printer to create precision restorations at the chairside.
A Digital Dental Solutions Provider
Digitising dental procedures can be challenging. Quality equipment, expert help with installation and operation, and skilled engineers to ensure it’s expertly maintained are essential. Hague Dental Supplies guarantees all that and more, so why not contact us and embrace our world-class digital dental solutions?
