Instead of relying on manual techniques and physical materials, digital dentistry utilizes tools such as intraoral scanners to enhance operations. Whether you want to perform procedures or provide high-quality dental appliances, technology helps streamline these tasks. Here are a few ways digital dentistry is changing the dental lab industry:
Better Communication
With digital communication tools, dentists can provide labs with timely updates to patient care plans. Your practice can send digital impressions, X-rays, and case instructions to a secure platform for dental labs to review. If there are issues with margin lines, bite alignment, or shade choices, the laboratory sends a digital query so that you can review and request adjustments.
Cloud-based management systems facilitate seamless collaboration between dental laboratories and dentists. If the scans aren’t of good quality, a technician will request other images to create the right restoration devices. Many digital lab systems notify dentists once they receive, design, or approve a scan, minimizing back-and-forth calls or emails.
Accurate Designs
When a dental lab uses intraoral scanners, it gets 3D images of the teeth and surrounding structures, improving accuracy. Such tools might spot problems, such as small gaps or surface defects, before designing the devices in the form of crowns, bridges, and implants. After scanning a patient’s mouth, the digital workflow system transfers data to a lab, so that technicians receive the exact details they need for fabrication.
Computer-aided technology uses precise milling machines and 3D printers to create dental appliances that match exact specifications. This function is suitable for patients who require full-mouth reconstructions because it allows all parts to fit together consistently, creating uniform devices. Since digital impressions help improve accuracy, labs don’t have to remake restorations, which consume time and resources.
Simplified Tasks
Online workflows simplify the process of scanning, designing, and manufacturing dental appliances. After scanning, specialists send the data to a computer-aided design software to create it, rather than relying on physical models. After designing the prosthetic restoration, it can be sent to a different software to fabricate it. A milling machine enables the creation of custom prosthetics, allowing labs to bypass manual modeling, which can be time-consuming. To simplify tasks, the system stores notes, designs, and scans digitally, making it easy to access and review files quickly for easier communication.
Comfortable Fit
Digital impressions allow dental laboratories to capture margins, contacts, and occlusal surfaces to create well-fitting oral devices. For full-arch bridges and implant-supported prosthetics, technology aligns all units, including crowns, abutments, and implants, based on the original scans. If your patients need veneers, some systems allow virtual or 3D-printed try-ins so the patient can evaluate the shape and appearance before the final production. Some tools also help evaluate issues that occur due to grinding or a misaligned bite. This prevents labs from having to remake the dental appliances or relining them to fit the patient’s mouth.
Reliable Devices
3D printers incorporate a variety of materials, including ceramic, resin, and metal alloys, to fabricate dental devices. Technicians will layer the materials carefully, providing a strong, durable finish. Computer-aided tools allow dental laboratories to create prosthetics that match the shape and contours of a patient’s mouth, reducing damage to surrounding teeth and soft tissues. In some labs, they use computer design systems to determine whether the crown or implant can withstand the pressure from chewing.
Work With a Qualified Dental Lab
If you’re a dentist who needs quality dental implants, metal frameworks, dentures, and more, start your search for a qualified lab. These professionals use modern technology to make accurate, long-lasting, and comfortable dental appliances for your patients. To send digital scans or learn more about the process, call a trusted lab today.
