The dental industry is different today than it was even a decade ago, with patients having more advanced treatment opportunities available than at any time in the past. Many changes have occurred over the past ten years with the transition from dental laboratory-based treatments to digital dentistry. At Roswell Wellness Dentistry, digital dentistry can streamline various steps of the treatment process, while still delivering excellent quality and accuracy to our patients.
In Roswell, GA, patients who choose digital dentistry instead of traditional methods enjoy better appointment frequency, more comfortable experiences, and more precisely designed and manufactured restorations. By utilizing technology in this way, we have been able to offer improved outcomes for our patients, as well as a better dental care experience in general.
How Traditional Dental Laboratory Workflows Operate
For many years, traditional dental labs used this same general process. For instance, once a restoration had been prepared, the dentist would take a traditional impression using impression material and impression trays. These impressions would then be sent to an outside laboratory, where a team of skilled laboratory technicians would then use these impressions to manufacture the restoration. Once this manufacturing process was completed, the restoration would then be returned to the dental office.
While the traditional dental laboratory process has been used to improve the oral health of millions of patients, some common factors with the traditional process include:
- More appointments
- Use of temporary restorations
- Shipping and laboratory process times
- Greater room for potential inaccuracies
- Longer overall treatment times
Although many dental offices still utilize traditional lab technology to manufacture dental restorations, modern dental dentistry technology has provided new opportunities that can help us create more precise and efficient treatments for our patients.
Digital Scanning Eliminates Traditional Impressions
When patients undergo digital dentistry, the first change they often notice is that traditional impressions are no longer required. Instead, highly accurate and detailed 3D computer scans of a patient’s teeth are produced using digital scanners.
Advantages that digital scanners offer include:
- A much more comfortable experience for patients
- Digital images are generated immediately and can be reviewed by your dentist right away
- More accurate and detailed images can be generated than traditional impressions
- Faster treatment planning process times
Some people do not enjoy traditional impressions, while other patients just prefer the faster and more precise treatment times offered by digital dentistry technology.
Improved Accuracy Through Digital Design
The design phase of digital dentistry is another aspect that makes the process more advanced and precise than traditional dentistry. The digital tools used to design digital restorations allow dental professionals to utilize software to help create a highly detailed model of the patient’s teeth. By doing so, dental professionals can have much better insight into the specific qualities of the patient’s smile, rather than simply creating dental restorations to fit over physical impressions of patients’ teeth.
When your dentist analyzes digital images, they may take the following characteristics into consideration while creating your new restorations:
- Specific shapes and measurements of your teeth
- Tooth alignment and overall occlusal function
- How your teeth interact with and touch one another
- Overall appearance and aesthetics
Furthermore, because digital dentistry technology allows restorations to be designed using computer software, more accurate changes can be made more easily when designing treatments to patients’ smiles.
Faster Treatment Timelines For Busy Patients
One of the most significant differences between digital dentistry and traditional laboratory treatment is the amount of time required. By utilizing digital technology, treatment times can often be greatly reduced over traditional dentistry treatment times. There is no more waiting weeks to have a restoration made or to send them back off-site to the lab. In some cases, the digital system allows the restoration to be made right at the chair with the patient, saving the patient time from making multiple visits to the doctor, to just scheduling one.
Improved Communication During Treatment
The visuals created from digital dentistry are great for helping the patient to understand their oral health and what treatments may be done. The scan allows the doctor to show exactly what they see and discuss the options for treatment for the patient. Many patients feel more comfortable making decisions when they can see:
- Concerned areas.
- The treatment plan.
- What the restoration will look like in digital form.
- What the treatment outcome will appear to be.
Improved Quality & Reliability
The digital system can eliminate many of the variables that are associated with traditional impressions and lab work. This makes the treatment much more consistent. Because there is a digital scan, the digital design, as well as manufacturing processes, the restoration that is produced can be done with high accuracy. This usually creates a better fit, a more predictable result, and fewer adjustments. The patient feels like everything is more exact from the beginning scan to when the restoration is placed.
The Future Of Patient Dentistry
Digital dentistry is not necessarily about technology. It is about the patient experience as well. Shorter appointment times, more comfort, more accurate and precise work, and improved patient interaction lead to an overall better experience for the patient when going through treatment. As the technology continues to grow, even more patient-specific care, accuracy, and convenience will be experienced. Roswell Wellness Dentistry will continue to bring in technologies to the practice that are meant to help patients improve treatment.
Why Patients Choose Roswell Wellness Dentistry For Digital Dentistry
At Roswell Wellness Dentistry, we truly believe that advanced technology should be used for the patients to receive better treatment and care. Our digital dentistry technology is a perfect example of our use of technology to give our patients the most efficient and accurate treatment, while still being able to give the patient personal attention. Many patients in Roswell, GA are happy about the use of digital dentistry because they know that it improves their overall experience. With the combination of using the most current technology along with our philosophy in providing good patient care, we are confident that our treatment will improve the way we treat our patients.
The Potential Change With Digital Dentistry
The field of digital dentistry has the potential to improve the way a lot of dentistry is practiced. By replacing older techniques and methods with the technology available today, we can provide a faster, more comfortable process and a more successful experience for our patients.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about how digital dentistry can improve the overall treatment process, give us a call. We hope to have the opportunity to help you and our patients receive the most effective care available today.