CAD/CAM The term " digital dentistry " is used with increased frequency every year. What benefit is digital dentistry, though? Twenty years ago, we could fix a broken tooth with a full-coverage crown. The process had been learned and retaught and perfected in dental schools for decades. Why fix what wasn't broken? Well, why did horse-drawn buggies get replaced by cars? Speed, ease of use and predictability are all things that come to mind. And this holds true with making crowns as well. For patients, the technology allows us to avoid temporary crowns. That in itself saves time for both clinician and patient. It also allows us to remove a lot of the human element, and therefore human error. The 46 technology also allows us to have a digital record of all pieces needed to make a crown. Remakes are a breeze and you don't need to see the patient prior to doing it. (I frequently remake a crown for someone needing a root canal, rather than drilling through their new crown). And digital scanning shows the clinician everything! Imagine the standard image at 25x its normal size. Being able to see your work at that minute level makes you better. Getting everything done in one visit is better for your patient and your schedule! Some doctors will say that they and their patients don't mind a second appointment, but if you gave each of them the choice to be done in one ... they'd all take it. FEBRUARY 2021 // dentaltown.com DT0221_Bird_Technology.indd 46 1/25/21 2:04 PMhttp://www.dentaltown.com