Source: Nobel Biocare
Digital dentistry uses dental technologies and devices that utilise computer-controlled and digital aspects to execute dental procedures instead of traditional tools that are generally either mechanical or electrical. These technologies can be used in both diagnosis and oral care treatments.
Digital dentistry is more effective and efficient than traditional dentistry, which is helpful as the needs and numbers of dental patients rise. Dental care needs increased due to the covid-19 pandemic, and many dentists saw increased oral issues, such as stress-related grinding of the teeth, chipped and cracked teeth, mild to severe jaw pain, decay, and tooth loss.
Next Smile™ Brisbane offers all our clients the chance to restore their smile through our All-on-4® with dental implants method, using advanced digital dentistry. Although digital dentistry may be a foreign concept to some patients, it is entirely safe and benefits the patient in many ways. In this article, we’ll go through what oral care patients can expect from digital dentistry, its many benefits, and how the field of dental care is advancing.
How Digital Dentistry Improves The Patient’s Experience
Accessible records
While a few lucky patients have a dentist who’s been providing care for them for years, many do not. And every time the patient comes to the dentist's office, they have to explain their specific issues and what treatments they’ve had in the past. Otherwise, they waste time waiting for a professional to sort through large amounts of files.
With digital dentistry, a digital record system provides instant access to all past treatments and past x-rays and up-to-date information. Patients get improved oral care because their dentists know what to look for and can cross-reference images to check for any changes to the teeth. Digital records are private and secure for patients and can never be lost.
Fewer and quicker visits
Digital files are kept on a shareable server, which allows dental labs, health care providers and any specialists that may be needed to have access to them immediately. This shortens the amount of time the patient must be in the office and can lessen the number of visits needed.
Less discomfort during scans, moulds and impressions
When it comes to traditional impressions, patients have to experience uncomfortable trays filled with a messy, putty-like substance, being placed into their mouths where they sit for up to five minutes until the material sets. This is difficult on patients and keeps many people from wanting to go in, even if they require care. However, with digital dentistry and the use of digital scans, patients have not only a more accurate impression of their teeth but less discomfort.
A dentist places a scanner in the patient's mouth, and within 30 seconds to two minutes, the patient is done. The scans allow the patient to understand their own oral care needs and see how the treatment will benefit them. The impressions that digital dentistry produces are more accurate than that of conventional methods, where even a slight movement of the patient can create a mistake. Also, the scan impression made by digital dentistry can never be lost or damaged, so it keeps patients from having to repeat imprints.
Increased reliability with dental scans and more accurate diagnosis
The digital dentistry that Next Smile™ Brisbane offers is more effective than traditional dentistry. It allows our experienced dentist to go well beyond a visual inspection of your teeth and gums.
With x-rays, our dentists can see any decay within the tooth, even if it’s beneath an old filling; however, this can cause patients other issues and concerns such as radiation exposure. What makes Next Smile™’s digital dentistry different is our digital radiography, which offers the same level of detail with 80% less radiation to the patient.
Allow for multiple professionals to collaborate on a patient’s care
Digital dentistry provides dentists and oral care professionals with the ability to screen-share. This helps them work in tandem with the laboratory, meaning they can use all of their combined expertise to develop a strategy that will work for the patient, particularly on oral issues that have slight or questionable margins.
Faster turnaround for patients
Another reason digital dentistry and digital records can benefit patients is that dentists can effectively work on a larger number of patients with more work needed without slowing the process down.
Digital dentistry allows experienced dentists to share their findings faster with the labs, which speeds up the turnaround time, particularly when making impressions. For example, where a conventional impression may take two to three weeks to create as oral care professionals have to physically ship the items to the lab, digital dentistry means the lab has the scans immediately. This means that patients can have a crown or implants made in days, shortening their overall process time and allowing them to get back to their lives.
The opportunity to avoid dental issues before they cause damage
As mentioned previously, digital radiography or digital scans are more in-depth than visual inspections and even x-rays, which is important when dealing with oral issues. The faster a dentist can identify the source cause of a problem, the better their diagnosis can be, and the faster treatment plans can be enacted. As digital scans can create imaging faster, your oral care professional can begin work on a case much quicker, which is vital to oral care. When it comes to teeth, the longer you wait, the worse it gets, and digital dentistry makes it easy to stay ahead of the problem.
How Next Smile™ Brisbane Continues to Advance
As the technologies advance, so do the benefits of digital dentistry. At Next Smile™, we are dedicated to continuing our cutting-edge research and implementing proven effective digital dentistry methods.
We hope to serve our patient's needs through a better in-practice experience, more accurate care, faster turnaround, and less invasive treatments. We do this while maintaining the strategies that help them see better oral care results and healthier lives overall.
If you’re looking for a simple way to restore your smile, reach out to Next Smile™ Brisbane and see what incredible innovations we offer in digital dentistry.