We often go to a dentist due to our high awareness of oral problems. It’s a general notion that dentistry is entirely about teeth and gums. However, it has become an umbrella for fields like oral surgery, orthodontics, periodontics, and pedodontics.
Today’s dentistry is no longer about “drilling and filling.” Dental industry professionals can use technology to pre-plan and accurately fabricate fixed prosthetics. With technology, it has become easier for dental professionals to decide how to treat teeth that are impacted or severely decayed. For example, Burbank Dental Labpositively affects dentists’ practices by supporting dentists in creating precise models. Here’s more info on how dental lab technology affects dentist practices.
Digital Shade Collection
The digital shade selection uses a computer to select the best-matched tooth color for the patient. Dentists use digital shade selection when they want to correct or improve the appearance of teeth that are discolored or worn down.
Digital shade technologies and software, the most up-to-date shade-taking tools, are frequently used in conjunction with either cutting-edge linear or 3-D guides to solidify shade choices further. Digital shade guides are a valuable asset to the shade determination process, especially when used with digital photography and digital shade guides.
Spectrophotometers modified for dental shade technology allow dentists to determine the basic tooth shade and various color zones quickly.
Shade, chroma, hue, and value are determined by sending light waves into the tooth and measuring how they have reflected the spectrometer. The digital spectrophotometers used in these systems have been shown to gauge tooth color accurately. However, linear and 3-D guides should be used alongside digital shade-taking devices for optimal, error-free results.
It means you will no longer have to worry about finding a matching shade at home or shopping for one on your own time. Instead, you can rest assured that your dentist has already done the work for you!
CAD/CAM Fabrication
CAD/CAM fabrication options are beneficial to dentists in many ways. It allows them to create parts and models that can be used for prosthetics or dentures, as well as other items that would otherwise require a lot of trial and error.
For example, if a dentist needs to make a new tooth for a patient, they may have to try different materials before finding a suitable one. If they were using traditional manufacturing methods, this could take months to accomplish without any guarantee of success. CAD/CAM fabrication options allow dentists to create dental implants, crowns, bridges, and dentures from scratch in a few days or weeks—with perfect results.
This way, dentists can produce a high-quality product that will last for years without needing maintenance or repairs. It also eliminates the esthetic and allergy difficulties with nonprecious metals and minimizes the expense of obtaining precious metals.
Magnification
Viewing a complicated object by magnification, like a dental implant or bridge, can help dentists make better treatment decisions. For example, suppose your dentist has made an incorrect diagnosis of the cause of gum disease. In that case, magnification using a laboratory scanner will allow you to see all the other possible causes of your symptoms.
It also helps dentists avoid making mistakes that can lead to complications. For example, if a dentist drills into your tooth instead of a crown or bridge, magnification can help you see exactly where the drill went and what happened (and what did not happen) as a result.
Finally, magnification can allow dentists to spot potential problems in patients’ teeth early on—before they get worse! If they spot something that might need further investigation or treatment later on down the road (like decay), they’ll be able to address it right away instead of waiting until it gets worse and becomes more challenging to fix.
Is Technology Changing Dentistry?
Technology is changing dentistry, and it’s not just about the tools used. Here are some of the biggest ways that technology has changed dentistry:
- Portable dental kits. Portable dental kits are a great way to keep track of everything you need while traveling. You can keep things in one place, so you don’t have to worry about losing things and returning to the dentist’s office whenever something breaks down on the road!
- Personalized treatment plans. With personalized treatment plans, dentists can consider factors such as age, gender, and ethnic background when coming up with treatments for each patient. They’ll also be able to look at things like diet, lifestyle habits, and medical history when creating their treatment plans.
Dental professionals must invest in technology to run their practices smoothly and adequately. Dental lab technology can help save time and costs, expedite procedures, facilitate communication between the different parties and increase productivity.
