Understanding The CAD/CAM Workflow In Dentistry

One of the most dramatic transformations in the dental industry has been the embrace of modernized computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) dentistry. 

Today, innovative dental offices can leverage these advancements in dentistry technologies to make the tooth restoration process more efficient, cost-effective, and accurate—all of which can lead to better patient experiences and outcomes.

Of course, dentistry is a field steeped in tradition and often resistant to change — especially radical transformation. This also leads to many dentists and other professionals taking a little while to learn about easier, better ways to go about things. As Dental Economics notes: 

“The challenge of learning the technology was not so difficult. The bigger challenge was consistently implementing it to the point where it became the new, most frequently used behavior.”

But CAD/CAM dentistry is shaping up to be the real deal. This technology and its implementation is almost universally beneficial in a dental office, and can be applied to an array of reconstructive procedures, including inlays, onlays, veneers, dental crowns, and dentures. But what is CAD/CAM dentistry exactly, and how does it compare to traditional restorative dentistry? Let’s review.

What is the CAD/CAM workflow and how is it used in dentistry?

The adoption of digital workflows in dentistry is growing as more dentists learn the benefits CAD/CAM technology provides. Is it true that digital scanning is faster, more comfortable, and more precise? Let’s investigate the process of digital dental workflows and see.

Your workflow begins with an intraoral scan which is used to create a high-tech image and model. A dental laboratory will then use this scan to either 3D print or mill a prosthetic or restoration. CAD/CAM workflows are replacing the classic impression mold and positive cast as the simplest, most precise way to model a patient’s mouth for the purpose of creating dental restorations

What is CAD/CAM technology used for?

CAD/CAM are digital technologies that utilize scanning, software, and 3D printing to digitally render, manipulate, and then fabricate an object. 

These technologies are not unique to dentistry. Professionals from a variety of fields—ranging from interior designers to aerospace engineers—use one or both of these programs as a part of their daily workflows.

The reason for a CAD/CAM system’s popularity is simple. It enables experts to render more precise design representations and make virtual alterations on the fly. It has largely replaced manual design, drafting, and crafting, with quicker, more accurate, and higher quality processes.   

What are the steps of the CAD/CAM process?

First, a dentist performs a digital scan. This can take as little as five-to-10 seconds. Compare to an analog impression, you’re already ahead of the old ways when it comes to speed and patient comfort.

Once your analog mold is ready, you can ship it to a lab to have a positive cast created. Or, if you use a digital dental process with intraoral scanners — you simply email or upload this scan to a lab like Dandy’s. Again, you are winning on speed and process simplicity, but you’re also saving shipping costs and potential mailing mishaps. (Did we mention that the digital scan is almost always more precise?)

Depending on the utility of your scans or impression, a lab will create a prosthesis, or replacement tooth (or teeth). If you are using a digital workflow, there’s a chance your prosthetics will be in the mail TO your practice in the same timeline it would take an analog impression to simply arrive at the same lab.

Once you receive a precision-made restoration, you’ll also find that dental workflow and adjustments are far less invasive and time-consuming when prosthetics are crafted with the precision of 3D imaging and CAD/CAM technology. Outside of initial setup cost, there is simply no procedural step where digital dentistry is not an improvement over long-established analog dental processes. If your conclusion is that CAD/CAM dentistry is better, you’re thinking like a modern dentist.