Special Report: New Frontiers of Dental Implants | © Crystal Light -stock.adobe.com


One hundred fifty million—that is the number of persons in the United States who have lost at least 1 tooth, according to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID). However, clinicians place only 2.5 million dental implants annually.

That means many individuals are missing teeth. How many of them are your patients?

Adult tooth loss is clearly a fact, at least in the United States. However, implant dentistry is not necessarily the treatment modality these clinicians and patients are choosing today.

However, that could be changing. Some analysts predict growth of the global dental implants market to $9.5 billion by 2032,

 whereas others anticipate steady growth in the United States alone to an estimated $2.2 billion by 2029.

 According to the AAID, the driving factors behind the growth include an aging population, a desire to keep one’s teeth, and growing awareness of the advances in diagnostic and restorative techniques for dental implants.

So, what advances are piquing these patients’ interest in dental implants?

Implant Planning and Placement: Automation Will Streamline, Workflow

Alon Mozes, CEO and cofounder at Neocis, Inc, says new planning and image diagnostics technologies are an exciting area for today’s implant dentistry. Implant planning is becoming more sophisticated, with more tools at dentists’ disposal. Automation, he says, will support dentists to the point where even those with limited experience placing implants will have more support from software regarding imaging diagnostics and planning for implant placement that takes advantage of bone density in the area.

“The software will be able to highlight if they’re risking damage to any critical anatomy, like the alveolar nerve or sinuses,” Mozes explains. For example, the software for Neocis’ robotic platform The Yomi Robot colorizes the implant’s surface based on the Hounsfield units in the CT scan. He says the system will indicate whether the dentist is planning in excellent or poor bone and will flash red if they are planning too close to the nerve or risking perforation of the sinus. “That makes it much easier for them to think about planning the implant,” Mozes says.

However, planning is only part of the workflow. Implant dentistry is about restoring teeth. To allow more collaboration and communication, Neocis is also developing sophisticated prosthetic planning, allowing dentists to plant the implants and the restorations in 1 central software ecosystem, Mozes explains.

“That enables dentists to plan the complete end-to-end workflow,” Mozes says. “You can restore the patient’s teeth and get the surgical result you want.”

There are different perspectives on the workflow. Some clinicians care most about getting the implant into the excellent bone. However, Mozes says clinicians on the restorative side want to ensure that the emergence axis is precise for easy, functional, and esthetic crown placement. If you place the implant in the bone but the placement is not precise, it can create problems. “When you get to the restorative side where you have to have custom abutments in a much longer restorative process to get the result you’re looking for,” Mozes says, “you can get some very upset restorative dentists, whereas the surgeon may be perfectly content.”

In addition to facilitating collaboration, these enhancements to implant planning also streamline it. Additional support will be available to dentists to outsource their planning and design to Neocis.

“We’ll have support through multiple avenues, whether that’s through the software itself and automated suggestions powered by artificial intelligence or through a planning service we provide as a company to assist the dentists,” he says. “Then it’s very easy to loop in all those stakeholders, the restorative dentist, the oral surgeon or periodontist, and a lab. All of them need to collaborate along this patient journey forthe best result.”

In addition, the robotic platform makes the lab’s job easier. Surgical guides are not necessary. The plan is in the software, and the robot helps the clinician execute it flawlessly. Instead, the focus is on the prosthetic because the robot covers the drilling and placement. Sometimes, the dental practice can use the file to create the prosthetic in-house. “So, that planning software becomes very instrumental in giving the dentists more control over the entire end-to-end workflow,” Mozes says.

The Yomi robotic platform is comprehensive because it allows you to merge your imaging requirements automatically, like a DICOM CT scan and an STL file from the intraoral scanner. Then, the dentist can review the bony anatomy, surface, and soft tissue and precisely plan the implant location and prosthetics preoperatively. However, the platform continues to support the clinician because the robot arm will physically guide the surgeon interactively to ensure they follow the plan exactly, with haptics and visual displays during implant placement.

“The dentist is always in control of the drill, but as they get close to the surgical site [the platform] will kick in if the clinician diverges from the plan and help them adjust. It will show them on the screen in real time as it adjusts and how they’re improving,” Mozes said. “Most importantly, physically, it’s going to feel like it’s easy to move the angle in the right direction, and it’s going to feel very stiff and resistive when they try to move [in] the wrong direction. It doesn’t move by itself. It makes sure you drill exactly where you intended.”

An additional benefit is that with the robot’s guidance, successive drilling will be in the same spot. Performing freehand surgery, Mozes says, can result in an oval-shaped drill hole by minute changes in the angle. Therefore, the implant will have a snug fit because the drill has more precision coming from drilling at the same angle repeatedly. “Implant stability has a lot to do with the life of the implant and the success of how well that integrates,” he adds.

Mozes anticipates automation handling more of the implant planning steps soon. From nerve planning to sinus outlining and even some restorative steps, like sizing and shaping the crown properly, the dentist can have a streamlined process without too much work. Further out, he sees machine learning algorithms, leveraging thousands of cases Neocis has worked on, automating the planning. “At some point,” Mozes says, “you’ll be able just to push a button and say, ‘Tell me where’s the best implant location for this patient,’ or, ‘What is the best restorative solution for this patient?’ and the software will be able to drop in the implant, put a crown on it, and give it to the dentist for a thumbs-up.”

Dental Abutments: Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Provides Novel Treatment for Peri-Implantitis, Faster Osseointegration, and Tighter Soft Tissue Seal

The osseointegration process and healing time are essential considerations in any implant case. Some of today’s implant designs try to address and improve the outcomes in both areas.

Benny Barak, MBA, ADV, CEO of Magdent—founded by Shlomo Barak, DMD, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and Moshe Neuman, DMD, a periodontist with an MSc in bone biology—says the hottest topic in implants is understanding how different companies can create a better, tighter seal between the healing abutments and soft tissue to reduce risk of peri-implantitis. The Magdent-MED (miniaturized electromagnetic device) produces a pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) proven to accelerate the natural healing process around the dental implant. Barak says Magdent’s PEMF technology could reduce inflammation and change the bacterial biofilm around implants. “With these 2 factors, we were able to create a faster integration and a better and tighter seal between the implants and our healing abutments,” Barak explains.

The FDA cleared PEMF for the use of stimulating bone growthin 1979 and it has been used since then for multiple procedures in orthopedics. Magdent is the first company to use this novel technology in dentistry. The product is undergoing FDA clearance for the US market.

The MED is made of titanium alloy and fits standard healing abutments into the implant. Clinicians need to activate MED before placement in a 5-second procedure; the MED’s battery then generates the PEMF for up to 30 days after activation.

The MED will be compatible with up to 85% of implant brands, with various models available today including most of the internal hex models of Nobel Biocare, Zimmer-Biomet Tapered Screw-Vent, BioHorizons, Camlog, Astra Tech, MIS, Implant Direct, Hiossen, and AlphaBio, among others. A single-use hex driver comes with the MED to seat it and thread it into the implant with only finger pressure.

Doctors working with the MED found that the gingiva was thicker and more keratinized than the soft tissue surrounding other implant sites. However, there are hard tissue benefits as well, as the MED stimulates osseogenesis and osseointegration, Barak explains. A new study Magdent recently published reveals that using the PEMF technology unique to MED allowed clinicians to grow bone for patients with peri-implantitis, which he describes as a game changer.

“We discovered that the MED helps to accelerate bone formation in peri-implantitis cases. With these improvements, the bone held the implant in its location, and they were able to save those implants for those patients,” Barak says, adding that this is also seen in a follow-up study being conducted in Brazil with Jamil Shibli, DDS, PhD, MSc, of Guarulhos University, that is on track to produce the same result.

Other research published by Magdent implies that even patients with poor bone quality—such as those with diabetes, cancer, or osteoporosis, or even heavy smokers—become better candidates for a successful implant placement. The MED’s abutment technology improves success in these cases normally prone to failure.

In addition, the Magdent MED solution is affordable, especially compared with other market options, according to Barak. Some companies with products that reduce bacteria around the implant charge thousands for their solution; Barak says this focuses on only 1 of several aspects the MED addresses. However, with Magdent’s MED, each clinic acquires 1 activator and then MED products for their patients, at an estimated cost of $100 to $120 per MED.

Looking ahead, Barak sees an aging population with a higher emphasis on maintaining oral hygiene, and an increased need for a solution helping high-risk patients, the number of whom has increased due to post–COVID-19 condition. Also, Barak says multiple resources report a growing global competitive annual growth rate for the dental implant industry. The combination of the growing emphasis on oral health and the introduction of more technology will make implants the standard of care. Barak anticipates that Magdent’s patented ability to treat peri-implantitis will only help grow this trend. Magdent MED has had interest from multiple companies across the European market due to Magdent’s CE mark clearance; the MED is expected to soon be available in the US market.

Moreover, the MED is showing excellent results in tripling acceleration of osseointegration and increasing bone quality around the implant. Barak says that in a study Magdent has published that used rabbits, the PEMF technology increased bone-to-implant contact by 48% and bone volume density by 62%.

“These 2 figures, along with the other outcomes that we saw in the study,” Barak says, “really give a dentist the ability to feel more comfortable when they place implants for these patients [who] suffer from poor bone quality because they know that our technology grows stronger bones for their patients while in the recovery stage.”

Balancing Thread Aggression to Aid Immediacy and Control

Indraneel Kanaglekar, senior vice president and global dental president at life sciences firm ZimVie, says that when it comes to implant design, a few trends drive where things are going. First, companies are focused on bone-level implants, not tissue level. In most cases, implants these days are subcrestal, which is driving more innovation in bone-level implants, Kanaglekar says.

The second trend in implant design development is driving toward immediate placement and restoration, which leads to designing aggressive threads that provide instant stability, allowing the clinician to confidently complete the restorationright after placement. However, one of the problems with aggressive threading is that the implant placement can be hard to control, leading to loss of precision, or in some cases bigger complications. This is mainly if the clinician is not precise enough to keep the placement from deviating, Kanaglekar says. Therefore, development is focused on obtaining precision of placement with primary stability.

“The implant design is moving towards being fully tapered with more aggressive threads while still giving sufficient control to the clinician and striking the right balance between control and aggressiveness to provide immediate solutions,” he says. “With our implants, the T3 PRO and TSX, we worked on that balance where you get the right amount of placement torque and bone-to-implant contact ratio, giving confidence to the clinicians of primary stability while ensuring excellent control.”

In addition to striking a balance between aggression and precision of the design, the engineering team at ZimVie also had to ensure the new implants were compatible with the existing instrumentation and surgical set.

“It was about measuring 2 things: the bone-to-implant contact, which gives primary stability, as well as the torque level when you place the implant,” Kanaglekar says. “We ensured that we achieved that while not going overboard regarding how much the threads protrude from the implant body.”

A third trend in implant design is optimizing the roughness of the surface to enhance osseointegration. Kanaglekar says this effort is significant in the coronal portion of the implant to mitigate the risk of peri-implantitis complications that can create bone loss. ZimVie’s new implants have an acid-etched surface on the top, which is rough enough where it is going to allow bone growth but not excessively rough that it causes infection issues. ZimVie’s acid-etching technology creates a surface roughness that is not hospitable to bacteria, creating peaks and valleys that they cannot reside in, Kanaglekar explains.

“Some companies leave the collar completely polished to minimize the chances of bacteria adhering to it, but that also decreases the chance of initial bone growth after you place the implant because it’s so smooth. So, we believe that getting the balance right is important, and we believe that acid-etching surface technology is an optimum surface roughness that allows the best solution,” Kanaglekar says.

ZimVie is addressing implant design in other ways. The new implants handle various indications with differing sizes and lengths. Also, ZimVie is expanding its portfolio with continuous enhancements to digital workflow, ensuring that the implant procedure is simple and efficient in terms of the total time it takes, uses fewer physical materials, and produces more long-term implants.

“It’s a holistic approach,” Kanaglekar says. “You can’t focus just on software. We start with the intraoral scanner’s integration with the software. Then, it’s going to software that can help dentists plan the surgery and design the guide. After the surgery, our proprietary Encode® technology makes the impression procedure very simple. Then we focus on our patient-specific solutions and how to make it as easy and intuitive as possible.”

Looking forward with implant design, he says the goal would be to make the procedure as simple and patient specific as possible. For now, there are far more crowns and bridges than implants today.

“We ultimately want to come to a point where no matter which dentist you go to, they are going to recommend an implant if you have a missing tooth,” Kanaglekar says. “The advancement of technology and improvement in clinical outcomes should eventually lead to implants being the only solution for a missing tooth.”

Patient-Specific Implants Replace Implant Systems

Iris Wedeking, MBA, CEO and cofounder at iDENTICAL™, says implant design is taking digital dentistry to the next level by challenging the idea that the surgery needs a drill. iDENTICAL’s patented technology creates a personalized, 3D-printed titanium implant modeled from the patient’s tooth. The dentist extracts the natural tooth, scans it, and then sends the scan to iDENTICAL. iDENTICAL then uses its patented design features to create a personalized dental implant the dentist inserts into the patient’s native socket site, no drilling required.

Wedeking says there are numerous benefits to this fully digital workflow. First, because the implant is manufactured based on the patient-specific design, it fits in the socket without drilling. Also, the workflow skips the 3- to 6-month healing time because no bone grafting is required. This makes implant dentistry more accessible; you can place these implants with minimal training because no drilling is required. Placing the implant requires a specially designed inserter, after which the clinician gently taps it into place.

Per Wedeking, the 3D-printed titanium implants are anatomically shaped and have precise features to maximize primary stability and promote faster osseointegration. The porous lattice structure on the apical portion is designed so that the bone grows into and onto the lattice structure.

Wedeking says her husband, a clinician placing implants for 20 years, invented the original iDENTICAL implant design based on the advancements he observed in 3D imaging, digital design, and manufacturing technologies. From CBCT imaging, CAD/CAM, 3D printing, and others, he saw an opportunity to create a less invasive procedure with improved patient outcomes by using 3D imaging to design a patient-specific implant.

“Moving toward patient-specific devices is already happening in other body parts. For example, 3D-printed, patient-specific spinal implants have been around for quite some time,” Wedeking says. “Dentistry is finally catching up.”

She thinks it is time for implant dentistry to advance beyond the cylindrical, tapered, screw-threaded design of the past 58 years. “Now is the time to leverage technology to create a new paradigm for implant dentistry: a less invasive, safer, and more personalized process,” Wedeking says. “The core technologies iDENTICAL is leveraging already exist. We are bringing them together with our patented approach to provide the first 3D-printed, titanium, patient-specific implants.”

Many patients have significant fears and anxiety regarding dentistry in general, especially concerning the drilling involved with traditional implant surgery. A drill-free, patient-specific solution can reduce anxiety and barriers to acceptance of treatment plans. Also, Wedeking thinks future clinical studies will show faster osseointegration, which she says will be a huge win for patients. In addition, because the iDENTICAL implant is anatomically shaped and the emergence profile is patient specific, it will improve esthetics.

“The natural gingival contour is fully maintained, which allows the patient to preserve their natural smile,” Wedeking says. “Achieving this outcome with traditional implants in the anterior region can be incredibly challenging.”

Moreover, iDENTICAL reduces the risks associated with implants. “There is virtually no risk of misplacement of the implant or causing nerve damage since there is no drilling required, so it’s a safer process for the patient,” Wedeking explains. “In addition, patients will benefit from the convenience of completing their full implant treatment process in fewer visits, saving time and money.”

Specialists and general practitioners also benefit.

“The cost, time, and effort to invest in these special tools and equipment, learning to use them properly, and properly store, maintain, repair, and replace them can be a significant barrier to placing implants for general dentists. iDENTICAL removes these barriers with its simple system and fully digital workflow,” she says. “Moreover, dentists will benefit from the competitive differentiation gained from showcasing a cutting-edge technology.”

iDENTICAL is in the midst of a clinical trial and is awaiting FDA clearance. However, Wedeking says it is already growing patient awareness and clinical interest in the industry.

“Given the trends of minimally invasive dentistry, digital workflows, advancements in 3D imaging and 3D printing technologies, and the growing aging population, iDENTICAL has major tailwinds in its favor,” Wedeking says. “Now is the prime time to bring iDENTICAL’s technology to the market.”

Ruben Arebalo, vice president of Preat, says implant dentistry has pushed toward a digital workflow, which requires digital implant impression-taking. Choosing the correct scan body for the digital impression that works with the abutment the clinician wants for the restoration can be a pain point.

For example, if the clinician uses a scan body that does not work with the chosen abutment, the lab might need a new digital impression. Or, sometimes, the lab recommends a different approach for the restoration that does not match the scan body chosen. Either way, it means getting the patient back for a new impression. Arebalo says Preat’s Choice Library addressed this pain point with scan bodies for any implant by making all abutments in the portfolio available for a digital workflow.

“A lot of times the technician may suggest a different abutment than the doctor selected based off what they see in the CAD software as they’re designing the restoration,” Arebalo says. “Rather than having to rescan, which is a pain, they can just go into their CAD software and select a different abutment. Using the Preat scan body, you have all the abutments in a digital workflow.”

Preat has scan bodies for most implant systems available today. They make a proprietary scan body that is specific to each design. Arebalo says that using one of Preat’s scan bodies, the clinician can scan first and consult with the technician afterward. The restorative team can use a temporary cylinder abutment for a provisional or a titanium base for a screw-retained restoration. The team can also design for a screw-retained restoration with an angled access channel or a custom abutment in their library for a cement-retained restoration if desired. “We open everything up to them from that initial scan,” Arebalo says.

Flexibility also stops implant workflows from little hiccups that cause delays and slow efficiency. Suppose a clinician chooses a screw-retained restoration, and the technician notices the screw access channel in the middle of the facial of the tooth based on the implant placement. In this case, there should be a custom abutment or an angled access channel. However, because of the scan body used in the digital impression, those options were not available for the technician designing the case. Therefore, the process stops until the team determines the next steps. “The scan body dictates everything you could do from a restorative side when using digital impressions technology,” Arebalo says.

The Preat scan bodies’ flexibility reinforces the collaborative concept, which is how Arebalo sees the implant workflow. The clinician and the technician have perspectives that can contribute to the case’s success and improve the patient experience.

“As a prosthetic component manufacturer, we’re just trying to give them all the tools up front to make the best restoration for the patient,” Arebalo says. “Everyone wants to use technology to the patient’s advantage. So, using their digital scanners to speed things up, using the CAD software and milling machines to speed up production on the restorative side. This continues to enable that.”

He anticipates technology further enhancing the workflow. For example, artificial intelligence will undertake preliminary designs for abutments and restorations for humans to review. Also, 3D printing will become part of the implant production process, which is already happening in Europe. Moreover, scanning technology will continue to improve.

“We will continue to see advancements in implant abutments to be even more patient-specific, more driven for that individual tooth site,” he says. “That could be through materials and processes that ask, how do we take something good today and continue to make it better?”

1. Thakkar R. Trends in dental implants 2022. American Academy of Implant Dentistry. July 7, 2022. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://connect.aaid-implant.org/blog/trends-in-dental-implants-2022

2. Dental implants market – by product (tapered implants, parallel-walled implants), by material (titanium, zirconium), by end-use (hospitals, dental clinics) & forecast, 2023-2032. Global Market Insights. December 2022. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/dental-implants-market

3. United States dental implants market report 2023: sector to reach $2.2 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 6.4%. News release. Research and Markets. March 28, 2023. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2023/03/28/2635443/28124/en/United-States-Dental-Implants-Market-Report-2023-Sector-to-Reach-2-2-Billion-by-2029-at-a-CAGR-of-6-4.html

Articles

Here is a look at key areas where companies have focused their research, from implant planning automation and implant surface technology design to what is next for abutments, and even how some companies seek to reshape the implant workflow entirely.

Special Report: New Frontiers of Dental Implants

SoftSmile, a technology company focused on delivering best-in-class orthodontic treatment to the industry, has integrated Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) analysis in its treatment planning software, VISION. The ability to manipulate complex data from CBCT scans unlocks new levels of analysis and diagnosis and improves treatment planning design and outcomes.

In orthodontics, CBCT has become an increasingly popular tool for treatment planning and evaluation and represents a major development in the field. CBCT scans are becoming increasingly common and more affordable for doctors and patients, but are more commonly used by specialists.

CBCT uses a unique technology to generate 3D images of dental structures, soft tissues, nerve paths, and bone in the craniofacial region in a single scan. The shift to 3D imaging is transforming the way orthodontists approach patient evaluation and treatment planning. Orthodontists can confidently create customized treatment plans with the advanced visualization and manipulation of 3D data of each patient’s unique anatomy.

How does the CBCT feature in VISION work?

VISION’s CBCT feature uses x-rays to produce detailed, 3D images of patients’ teeth, jaws, and surrounding structures. Users upload the Archive file, containing these scans, to the VISION Portal. The data is integrated into the VISION platform, where advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms analyze the complex, multi-layered data. Next, during the Tooth Orientation stage, the user can access and see each patient’s unique dental structure in 3D, including the real roots of the teeth, which is crucial for precise diagnostics and planning of treatments.

What makes VISION’s CBCT offering unique is its AI-powered automation, making it faster and easier for orthodontists to make informed treatment decisions with 3D imaging data. VISION’s AI is based on neural networks that are specifically trained to identify and segment various structures using a large data set of CBCT scans.

During this process, the network learned to identify and segment various structures in the scans based on the examples it was given. Over time, it became capable of performing this task accurately and efficiently, even on new, unseen data. The neural networks improve efficiency by decreasing the time it takes to process data and its learning capabilities boost performance, reducing the need for manual input and adjustments. In addition, its ability to identify complex patterns ensures precise segmentation and analysis.

Throughout the treatment planning process, VISION provides prompts for each step, making it convenient and easy to use. Machine learning is a key component of VISION – the software continues to produce more accurate results with each aligner case, saving even more time in the future as it learns. The software can also learn a doctor’s specific preferences, adapting and optimizing future treatment plans based on the doctor’s input.

CBCT integration into VISION provides benefits for dentists and patients

In orthodontics, clear imaging is key to accurate diagnosis, growth evaluation, and treatment planning, and CBCT serves as an important source of data and allows doctors to visualize a patient’s craniofacial complex in 3 dimensions instead of 2. SoftSmile’s VISION software empowers users with advanced analysis and enhanced orthodontic treatment planning. It also improves CBCT analysis and diagnosis via:

With the advanced visualization and analysis possible with VISION, practitioners can create highly tailored treatment plans for an individual’s specific anatomical features, extracted from CBCT images.

 CBCT images provide highly detailed and accurate information about the patient’s teeth and jaw structures with multiple layers of data to be analyzed, improving patient outcomes. VISION accurately considers the direction of the tooth axis, which is crucial for the Tuning Table and future occlusion keys.

The interactive visualizations in VISION provide a more in-depth understanding of the patient’s oral structures. The highly detailed visuals surpass the capabilities of traditional two-dimensional CT scans, helping orthodontists avoid errors and improve accuracy.

 CBCT images enable orthodontists to better understand their patients’ unique craniofacial structure, including tooth roots, bone structures, and soft tissues, empowering them to create more accurate and bespoke treatment plans, with smart collision and boundary control capabilities. The system ensures the safety and effectiveness of treatments by monitoring for potential collisions of roots and controlling roots going beyond bone limits.

 CBCT visualizations are extremely high-quality and easy to understand. Doctors can demonstrate treatment plans and progress to patients by zooming in and changing the view angle to manipulate the data from CBCT scans. This helps orthodontists better communicate with patients.

SoftSmile has been developing its CBCT capabilities since its inception in 2019, leveraging years of expertise working with CBCT scans for advanced jaw and bone analysis. Automating CBCT analysis with advanced AI features ensures users can visualize and manipulate the 3D imaging data. This innovation in orthodontic diagnostics provides a robust, high-quality, and advanced tool that significantly improves the precision, efficiency, and effectiveness of each step of orthodontic treatment planning and evaluation.

SoftSmile helps doctors deliver more effective patient outcomes

With SoftSmile’s VISION software and the CBCT integration, orthodontists can spend less time and money on each case, making orthodontic treatment more cost-accessible. SoftSmile is democratizing the orthodontic industry because VISION’s innovative algorithms, backed by sound biomechanical and mathematical principles, are making flawless smiles accessible to more people at a fraction of the cost.

VISION is the beginning of a ripple effect that will lower patient costs without sacrificing quality across the entire orthodontic industry, actively breaking down the access issues associated with orthodontics.

Learn more about VISION and its CBCT capabilities, schedule a demonstration at 

[SPONSORED] This article explains how VISION software from SoftSmile works to plan optimal orthodontic treatments.

SoftSmile’s VISION Treatment Planning Software Leverages CBCT Capabilities to Deliver High-Quality Orthodontic Treatment

Product Bites from Dental Products Report provides updates on the latest dental products in just a few minutes a week.

Product Bites – September 1 2023

Welcome to Product Bites, a weekly podcast from Dental Products Report providing you with a rundown of recently launched an updated dental technologies, materials, instruments, and anything else you might use with your patients or while running your practice.

I'm your host for this week DPR Editorial Director Noah Levine, and on this week's podcast, we've got a trio of new dental technologies in the form of LunaLite Dental, Viax3D, and OraQ. So let's get into it and learn about these new innovative solutions.

Up first is the LunaLite Dental, a new product from LunaLite. This is a laser guided x-ray positioning system that straps right on top of the x-ray generator you're already using, providing laser guided accuracy to your x-ray process. The LunaLite is designed to automate positioning to make FMX series capture more efficient. It's also compatible with bitewings and periapicals, making it an efficient addition to any x-ray workflow.

Next up is Viax3D from Viax Dental Technologies. This new solution brings guided surgery principles to interproximal reduction. It was developed in collaboration with DPR columnist Dr. Lou Shuman, and it's designed to simplify the interproximal reduction process while making it more accurate and efficient. The 3D-printed guides work in conjunction with specialized burs to create a very precise interproximal reduction protocol that makes it easier to integrate within other orthodontic treatments.

Finally, we have OraQ from OraQ AI. As the name implies, this is another artificial intelligence platform. This software solution uses AI to drive practice efficiency, and it's designed to help increase case acceptance. The software analyzes patient records, their dental and medical histories, and more to help clinicians be prepared for any patient as they walk in the door. It also helps suggest potential treatments those patients might be in need of. An online patient portal also provides home access for patients allowing them to see customized recommendations from the software anytime they want to.

That's all for this week's Product Bites from Dental Products Report. But we'll be back next week with all the latest in dental products. And in between be sure to check out dentalproductsreport.com/newdentalproducts to see all the latest industry innovations.

Until next time, I'm Noah Levine. Thanks for listening.

Podcasts

Product Bites from Dental Products Report provides updates on the latest dental products in just a few minutes a week. [3 Min]

John Flucke, DDS, is in private practice in Lee’s Summit, Mo. He also serves as chief clinical editor and technology editor for 

® and keeps an active blog filled with thoughts and tidbits on the world of technology at blog.denticle.com.

CEREC is probably the best-known intraoral scanning system in the industry. That name recognition is not due only to the system’s longevity in the dental industry but also to Dentsply Sirona, the company behind the product, remaining focused on technological innovation and keeping the device at the forefront of the product category.

This focus on improvement is readily apparent in the Primescan Connect, the newest version of the device from Dentsply Sirona, which I recently had the pleasure of evaluating in my practice. The camera for Primescan Connect and CEREC Primescan is identical, meaning you can expect the same performance with this laptop solution.

When the CEREC Primescan was announced, one of my close friends, Paul Feuerstein, DMD, got a chance to try it. His description was, “The image on the screen is so smooth and seamless that it looks like water is pouring over the teeth.” Shortly after our conversation, I got a chance to try the unit myself, and I thought his assessment was perfect. The CEREC Primescan system is impressive and powerful, which translates to an onscreen experience that is smooth and easy.

One of the tremendous advantages of digital dentistry is the flexibility that technology has brought. There’s no single way to do digital dentistry, and Dentsply Sirona’s latest technology can fit into a range of dental practice settings.

Primescan Connect is an excellent choice for a doctor or an office who want the advantages of digital impressions without the bulk of a cart to move between operatories. It comes with the camera, camera cradle, Lenovo laptop, smart coupling box, carrying case, and accessories. With this system an office can do just about any impression procedure digitally. You simply move the laptop and scanner to wherever you need it, and you are good to go.

When I used the system, it was immediately apparent that the Primescan Connect is fast, and the learning curve is short. I watched team members do a full mouth (maxillary, mandibular, and buccal bite) in less than 60 seconds.

Of course, all that speed is great, but if the data are inaccurate, your clinical results will be inaccurate as well. However, that is of no concern to Primescan Connect users. I always look into the accuracy of any digital system I am using, and I was very impressed with the accuracy of Primescan. In addition to having incredible speed, the scanner is processing 1.5 million 3D data points per second. That is a ton of data to be assimilating every second.

There is also the matter of the depth of field. Practically speaking, the depth of field is how far away something can be from a camera and still be in focus. When it comes to 3D scanning, the depth of field is critical in delivering accuracy in a digital scan. The Primescan Connect has a dynamic lens that captures detail at up to 20 mm away from the camera. In practical terms, this means every part of a prep is captured and rendered with remarkable accuracy. This amazing depth of field is one more reason the scans produced possess such astounding detail.

One of the things I like to do when evaluating 3D scanning software is to just sit down and try to use it before I have been through any training. With the Primescan Connect, the acquisition software is impressive. The interface is incredibly simple to use with an intuitive design. The scanning process is simple, as well. I was impressed that no matter where the scanner was in the mouth, the software immediately and automatically knew where I was and changed the view on the monitor accordingly.

As an example of this capability, I started a scan and intentionally scanned the maxillary right quadrant first. When I reached the midpoint, I flipped the camera over and, instead of continuing from anterior to posterior, I placed the camera over the maxillary left second molar and continued to scan. The software instantaneously assessed the image from the scan and changed the view to show I was scanning the maxillary left second molar. I didn’t have to click anything or touch anything. The scanning software is always evaluating what the scanner sees and seamlessly renders what it sees on the screen.

Another benefit I found is that the user can stop and resume scanning at any time. If a patient needs a break during a scan, or you notice the prep needs a touch-up, you simply remove the scanner from the mouth and it pauses. Put the scanner back in the mouth and the system immediately identifies where you are and allows you to continue. If you changed the prep, the scan simply incorporates the new data when the lens goes over that tooth.

Having a scanner that almost anyone can use proficiently the moment they touch it is tremendous for productivity. I have been using intraoral 3D imaging since the late 1990s, and the tremendous advances that Dentsply Sirona have made are nothing short of miraculous. The speed of acquisition, the accuracy, and the ease of use are all game changing.

All of this is amazing, but what do you do with scan data after it’s acquired? That is where DS Core comes into play. A cloud-based platform that aims to simplify and streamline digital workflows for dentists and labs, DS Core features include CAD design outsourcing, data management, communication tools, and software integration.

DS Core is designed to be a secure digital hub for dental practices. Connecting with labs, managing data, sending images, and accessing digital services can all be done from a single application.

Intraoral 3D scanning is not only a game changer—it is a practice changer and a productivity changer as well. The profession is rapidly approaching the tipping point of digital workflows becoming the norm, and if a practice hasn’t incorporated a scanner yet, now is the time to look.

Primescan Connect allows you to step into digital dentistry with an open, versatile approach. Primescan Connect is compatible with all major lab software, which will enable you to enhance the partnership with your preferred lab.

My test drive of the Primescan Connect made me a believer in this laptop-powered intraoral scanning system. If you are looking to move into this technology, Primescan Connect should be a device that you put on the list to evaluate.

[SPONSORED] John Flucke, DDS shares his experiences using the Primescan Connect intraoral scanner from Dentsply Sirona.

Test Drive: Setting the Intraoral Scanning Pace With Primescan Connect™

Kellie Nock is the assistant editor for Dental Products Report. She graduated from Kent State University in 2018 with a Bachelor's in Journalism. Kellie enjoys multimedia content creation with a focus on audio and video storytelling. 

All Digital Everything: All the Places and Ways to go High Tech in the Dental Practice. Image: © Diflope - stock.adobe.com


Dental practices today look, feel, and sound different than they did 20, 10, even 5 years ago, thanks to the constant shift away from analog and toward a more digital world. Tasks that were once done using paper and pencil have been delegated to computers, clearing up clutter and making dentistry more sustainable. Humankind has never had more information or knowledge than it does at this moment, which leads to plentiful innovation in a variety of fields.

Dental practices once stuck in the technological Stone Age have more access and insight into digital technologies than ever before, and leveraging that access and knowledge is key to staying ahead of the curve when it comes to acquiring and retaining patients.

But “digital” is a wide, encompassing term. It’s a large umbrella that a variety of technologies and techniques can fit under, so it can be overwhelming to know where or how to start. It may be helpful to do a walk-through in your dental practice, starting with what every patient is confronted with the second they step into the building-—the front office.

The front office is the first place a patient sees, and their first experience with the kind of care they’ll receive at the practice. In a less literal sense, it also houses much of the “business” of the dental practice, including scheduling, payments, and intake.

This is where digitization can be key, according to Steven Maroulis, executive director of patient experience and analytics for Henry Schein One, a dental software and office technology company. “To enhance the front office experience for patients and practice staff, dental practices can optimize 2 key areas: intake and scheduling,” Maroulis says.

Intake can be a huge obstacle and time sink, especially when adding new patients. Historically, patients would enter a dental practice and immediately be confronted by forms and documents, carving out time in their schedule that could be otherwise dedicated to treatment. Digitization enables patients with the flexibility to do things their way, without sacrificing the practices’ needs and requirements for them, Maroulis says.

“Within seconds of entering a practice, patients are overwhelmed with several forms consisting of demographic information, medical history, insurance information, etc,” he says. “By digitizing forms and allowing patients to fill out information on their own time from their own devices, practices can create a more seamless intake experience.”

So instead of wasting precious treatment time, patients can walk in with the confidence of having filled out forms beforehand and the knowledge that they can get right to treatment. These digital forms can be optimized and integrated through the practice management system (PMS), adding further context for future visits as well as vital insight on their medical history for the hygienist and dentist.

Scheduling is another key aspect of the front office, comprising just some of the front office staff’s responsibilities. Getting in touch with patients can be an endless challenge, between missed calls, wrong numbers, and just the general busyness of life. Paper calendars can be helpful, but what if there was a more seamless way to schedule and modify appointments for patients?

“Front desk staff often spend most of their time taking phone calls to schedule or modify patient appointments. By allowing patients to schedule their own appointments online, practices can reduce their overall call volume and enable the staff to maximize their productivity and engage with patients in the front office,” Maroulis says. “Henry Schein One’s scheduler and forms capabilities allow dentists to drive a positive patient experience through increasing convenience and ease of use.”

Online scheduling reduces human error, avoiding those awkward double-scheduling situations that may occur when everything is done on paper in the office. Digital calendars block out time slots, fit the right clinicians to the right treatment, and provide clarity for patients, especially because they integrate directly with the PMS. In the dental practice, time is money, and finding new ways to make everyone’s time more productive and effective leads to better outcomes for both the clinician and the patient, Maroulis says.

“By adopting technologies that remove the need for paper forms, charts, films, and more, practices can streamline their operations,” he says. “Using digital technology to automate scheduling and patient intake can also reduce administrative burdens. And patients are more likely to refer to other patients, with higher satisfaction overall.”

Plus, when everything is digital, dental practices eliminate their paper waste. In a time when sustainability is a draw for many people, this may be key to bringing in new patients and even employees.

Different products offer different features for each dental practice, so it’s vital to find the right fit based on practice volume and patient needs. Henry Schein One’s Dentrix has teamed up with artificial intelligence (AI) to further bolster its capabilities. AI, with its machine-learning algorithms and problem-solving capabilities, helps free up time and energy for front office staff.

“Dentrix and Dentrix Ascend Detect AI, powered and manufactured by VideaHealth, offer clinical decision support to detect possible caries on x-rays,” Maroulis says. “Dentrix and Dentrix Ascend Voice, powered by Bola AI, is an intuitive voice assistant that records [periodontal] exam results and clinical notes, providing freedom and flexibility to practice and front office staff.”

AI is still relatively new in the dental space, making its mark in a variety of areas. The assumption that AI only belongs in the operatory is far from the truth, and practice owners may consider its many applications in every arena of the dental practice.

“AI is making a large splash in the dental industry, specifically in the clinical area. However, key players in the patient communication space are exploring ways to incorporate AI in the front office and how practice staff can leverage AI as a tool to operate even more efficiently,” Maroulis says. “For example, autogenerative AI capabilities are becoming more prominent within reputation management. Analytics tools such as Jarvis Analytics will make morning huddles more efficient and help practice staff determine where to focus, in terms of driving new patients in the door, increasing production, or understanding clinical metrics. Practices using more advanced analytics tools can see a 15% average increase in practice revenue.”

Jarvis Analytics provides dental practices and dental support organizations with artificial intelligence–powered actionable data insights. Image courtesy of Henry Schein One. 

Jarvis Analytics from Henry Schein One directly takes data from the PMS and provides key performance indicators and other insights from that aggregated data, which can be especially useful for dental support organizations (DSOs) to track performance across different dental practices in the network.

Because AI potentially can be a scary word for patients unfamiliar with this technology, clear and concise instruction remains king in such situations, especially in the front office.

“Some patients may be more reluctant to adopt digital communication solely because it’s unfamiliar to them. We can help patients embrace the digital age by educating them and highlighting its value and ease of use while this patient is in the office. Dental practices can also adapt to their patients’ preferred method of communication,” Maroulis says. “For example, if one patient is more comfortable with email communication vs text messaging, a dental practice can take note of that within the practice management software and adjust their communication methods accordingly.”

The dental practice journey typically begins and ends in the front office, so creating a space for the front office staff where they can work efficiently, effectively, and confidently only serves to extend that confidence and optimization to the patients as well.

The dental operatory/treatment room is perhaps the most integral part of the dental practice, acting as the point where all clinical work is done and the zone where big treatment decisions get made. As such, ensuring the clinician is equipped with the right tools and technology to properly treat patients is key to ensuring better case results.

Digitizing what was once analog in the operatory is a big task when you consider every aspect of the treatment room. From chairs to handpieces to lights to imaging, there are many working parts that need to be considered in this area of the dental practice, and there is a plethora of ways to digitize.

Much of this digitization is spurred on with the assistance of the internet, connectivity, and the ever-present cloud, according to Margaret Scarlett, DMD, chief science and technology officer at Digital Transformation Partners and a digital consultant.

“Before, we didn’t have the cloud. You couldn’t store data except on some little box that you had somewhere for privacy and security, but now you can digitize and put information on the cloud,” Dr Scarlett says. “Once it’s stored on the cloud, you just pull it down when you need it.”

The cloud is a web-based server that can host files, providing clinicians with the ability to check data and files with the hardware platform of their choice (desktop, laptop, tablet) at the dental office. This offers a flexibility not only in checking files, but also in sending cases to labs without having to deal with the woes of physical shipping and handling.

“Now you can have an [intraoral] scanner that’s handheld, and it can draw a picture of a tooth, it can draw a picture of where the margin is on that, too,” Dr Scarlett says. “It can transmit that to a laboratory somewhere. It goes up on the cloud and through the internet.”

A large part of making the switch of analog to digital means cutting out old techniques and/or products that no longer serve the practice or patient efficiently. For example, a digital intraoral scanner can take full mouth impressions, which, for some dentists, can replace the inventory space and price of standard impression materials.

“Most people are moving onto scanning technology. I’ve used so many of the different scanners on the market, and they’re fantastic,” Dr Scarlett says. “It’s so much better than the goo [impression material]. But overall, you start to look at how much that impression material cost, and when you look at that over time, it does stack up. With scanners, the return on investment is pretty good, and most people say, ‘Oh, that’s a lot easier.’ But I think writing the prescription and then putting it in the box with the impression material and sending it to the lab––that’s becoming analog, but I do see some folks hanging on to that maybe a little bit longer than they should.”

Return on investment is vitally important to keeping a dental practice afloat. In a perfect world, dental professionals could provide the best care possible in the most time- and money-saving ways, but realistically, the business component of the dental office weighs heavily on product purchasing decisions. In fact, per 

’s own Tech Census, published earlier in 2023, return on investment is something that almost every dentist considers when it comes to new technology.

 If a practice owner can’t be sure they’ll make back their money spent on an expensive digital technology, they may be more reluctant to eat the cost for the sake of digitization.

Some practitioners are very comfortable with what they are using and don’t want to adopt new digital technologies in the practice. As mentioned by Dr Scarlett, perhaps a practitioner prefers their tried-and-true impression material and is concerned about the cost and learning curve around purchasing a digital scanner. This reluctance to adopt is also prevalent in the laboratory space, according to Dr Scarlett.

“A lot of times what I see is people are not thinking beyond the PMS. They’re saying, ‘Oh, I’ve got my electronic records.’ But maybe they don’t have a digital way of doing their referrals, or they’re not using digital methods for reporting and looking at the actual reporting that’s available through their electronic dental health records and aggregating those so that they can become more efficient or more productive,” she says. “I also see that the laboratory seems to be the area where there’s the most analog work being done, because we’re a hands-on profession, literally. Well, hopefully we are gloves-on, but we are very much tactile in the work that we do. And as I have gone to different practices and DSOs, the handling of laboratory information and the transfer of data—that has just been the last place where people are switching to new technology.”

DSOs are often better equipped to create a wholly digital experience because they are more likely to have access to more funding, technology, and dedicated support. Dr Scarlett says that, for private practices, it can just be a matter of finding the right person for the right situation.

“One of the things that I say to practices is, ‘You need to start by finding an IT [information technology] specialist for security and privacy issues.’ Even in the DSO world we’ve seen some big ransomware attacks, so it’s important to ensure privacy and security, whether it’s at a DSO or a private practice,” she says. “It’s not just somebody to make sure that your software is loaded, but also [to ask how you are] preserving privacy and security of the records. This is the way you continue to successfully operate.”

Privacy and security are robust considerations in the dental practice, from the front office to the treatment area to all external communications. Digitization can help in this regard, creating safeguards for patient data that live in the PMS.

Dr Scarlett refers to a “conceptual gap,” meaning dental practices don’t always have the resources or time to make the switch from analog to digital. That’s where experts like Dr Scarlett come in. They consult on the best way to begin this transition.

“I go into practices to help them prepare, whether it’s a transition or setting them up for sale,” she says. “Their challenges have to do with making sure that they’re where they need to be, that they’ve allowed enough time to learn, which is about 4 to 6 weeks for any new software or any new technology. There are also some ‘Aha!’ moments that people in different practices have where they say, ‘Oh, my electronic records are all digital. My patient intake is all digital. Now I’ve got some digital components of that. I have digital components that helped me with my referral systems.’ But then they’re still hand writing a laboratory prescription. That’s all a part of change management.”

Patients have felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic just as strongly as practitioners have, and expectations may have shifted over the past 3 years regarding care. One arena that necessitates digitization is telehealth and, by extension, teledentistry. Teledentistry helps patients who need more flexibility in their schedule receive licensed dental consultation without needing to physically walk into the dental practice.

MouthWatch has been at the forefront of the teledentistry conversation, with its software service platform TeleDent taking center stage. Brant Herman, MouthWatch’s cofounder and CEO, stresses the importance of the digital aspect in teledentistry.

Teledentistry enables patients who may otherwise not be able to see their dentist to meet virtually, connecting them to vital care they may need. Image courtesy of MouthWatch. 

“TeleDent allows the practice to have a digital, virtual front door for that patient journey. So they can talk to a dentist, they can ask questions, and it doesn’t always have to happen during office hours. Patients can submit a request for an evaluation or a consultation and hear back from the doctor when it’s convenient for the patient,” Herman says. “They don’t have to get cases presented while they’re sitting in a dental chair and maybe a little bit anxious or nervous about price. They can have a video conference, talk to a treatment plan coordinator or the doctor in the comfort of their home sitting with their partner, and have a better experience when they’re listening and learning about their treatment needs.”

The virtual aspect is a key component of teledentistry, with video conferencing a must for clinicians to perform accurate consultations and triage as necessary. TeleDent has a variety of features that enable proper care, such as video calling, virtual scheduling, a live support team, and even remote intraoral camera capability. All are made possible by the digitization of dentistry.

“With TeleDent, we work with anything from your laptop desktop to your smartphone in terms of imaging that you can share with the provider and a video console that you can have in real time,” Herman says. “In most settings, it can really just be a tablet, laptop, or phone, and that’s enough for the patient to get a lot of that value. What we also do with teledentistry is we can expand the footprint of a practice without building more operatories. Dental professionals can go into schools and nursing homes and outreach settings and screening settings, and with an intraoral camera and TeleDent, that becomes a really valuable encounter with the patient. What we are really excited about is that we can help increase the scope of practice—for example, a hygienist working out in the field, because you don’t need a dentist supervising them. Through telehealth rights through teledentistry, you can get an authorization of services that empowers the hygienist to do more of their scope of work and increase the profitability and reach of the practices.”

At-home dental health monitoring can also be a huge component of teledentistry, putting the patient’s care in their own hands while still ensuring they are receiving care safely and effectively. Teledentistry, an almost-entirely digital endeavor, also assists in triaging care properly, keeping patients from emergency appointments by allowing them to hop on a virtual call with a dental practitioner first who can then direct care as needed, according to Herman.

“We found that 3 out of 10 emergencies didn’t require an in-office appointment. So it makes some practices much more efficient with their chair time, which, in turn, can help with staffing issues. When a practice is limited in the number of hygienists or dentists that they have, they need to make the most of the operatory time,” he says. “We can help shift some appointments out of an office completely. So sometimes a postoperative visit is really like a look-see appointment. It’s not required. We know there’s going to be a high success rate and a high patient satisfaction rate if you did a follow-up with them virtually. A 10-minute video call saves you a half hour of operatory time, plus you have that operatory available for other higher value, higher revenue services.”

Modern patients and practices require modern digital solutions, and teledentistry is a service that plenty of dental practices can benefit from. And although there might be fear in adopting a new service into the practice’s offerings, the benefits greatly outweigh anything else, according to Herman.

“You are trying to find an efficient balance [with] in-office care, and you will always need in-office care. You’re not escaping it, and you’re never going completely virtual. But you can make it so much smarter and so much more accessible and efficient that I think practices are going to start to see it,” he says. “Frankly, we’ve seen larger practices with a strong business efficiency mindset deploy TeleDent because they know it helps to reach more people, more efficiently, and provides patients with the experience they want and expect through the technology.”

Artificial intelligence can fill in gaps, especially when it comes to front office work. This digital technology can also reduce human error, while still maintaining a personal touch. Image courtesy of Henry Schein One. 

Not to mention that teledentistry markets itself, Herman says.

“You can also make a case for increased case acceptance when it’s not done with cotton in your mouth, lying back in a chair nervous and feeling like, ‘I have no option right now,’ ” Herman says.

MouthWatch’s newest platform, Dentistry.One, has a focus on virtual-first visits, working with dental practices and DSOs to deliver quality care that bridges the divide between dental and medical.

“We have a nationwide network of dentists; we have the ability to be that virtual first touchpoint for a patient,” Herman says. “Then we do care coordination, where we’re getting patients into dental offices. And when they know what they need, we can make a more effective referral into the practice.”

Incorporating teledentistry in the dental practice sets owners and practice staff ahead of the curve, enabling them to bring in more patients, be more flexible with their scheduling, and find new ways to provide care for patients. Not to mention, teledentistry can meet the needs of dental practices that are feeling staffing crunches that have swept the industry, according to Leah Sigler, president of The TeleDentists.

“The No. 1 concern in the dental industry right now is staffing; hygienists don’t want to work where turnover rates are high…. Teledentistry is an incredibly great option for making the dental office almost like a hybrid working situation,” Sigler says. “Hygienists and dentists can utilize teledentistry from the comfort of their home a couple days, and then go in for those patients that they’ve triaged appropriately with a full schedule. That would be such a powerful tool to help improve the current situation.”

The TeleDentists, which was founded in 2014, connects practices to patients for virtual care. Sigler focuses on the productivity aspect of teledentistry, echoing the fact that reaching patients virtually can eliminate cancellations, patient anxiety in the dental office, and other barriers to best care.

“It’s an excellent way to break that fear factor because people are scared of 2 things when it comes to dentistry: how much it’s going to hurt and how much it’s going to cost,” Sigler says. “Behavioral health has seen an incredible response through telehealth. Just being able to talk to someone through a camera makes people a lot more open and a lot more comfortable. We’ve seen the exact same thing in teledentistry: That ‘white coat phobia’ is gone because they’re able to have a face-to-face conversation. No personal protective equipment blocking them, no shields, and masks, and N95s. It’s just a personal conversation with the dentist, and that really helps bring people’s anxiety back down and helps them be able to get their treatment done.”

This relatively simple digital solution can be a steppingstone for solo practice owners who wish to offer something new and modern for patients—and for DSOs that want to implement care effectively and efficiently.

Whether it’s new software in the front office, new digital imaging tools in the treatment room, or even a new platform to better serve patients from the comfort of their homes, there are a lot of different ways for a dental practice to go digital.

With the advent of new technologies, dental practice owners may begin to feel the pressure as they pursue new patients, knowing that the practice down the street is high-tech and has the budget to do just that much more for the patient. One key differentiator might lie in AI. Tasks that were once arduous or time-consuming can now be tackled 2-fold with the help of AI.

“In the use of AI for imaging, measurement, and detection aids, this conceptual gap that we now have is that we have to think about our skills as a diagnostician that are enhanced by some of the AI components that we have,” Dr Scarlett says. “Therefore, [we have to consider] our treatment planning and acceptance of treatment planning. Before the patients might say, ‘Oh, you’re looking at this little mini x-ray that you took in my mouth and you’re holding it up to the box.’ You’re looking at that and you can’t convince the patient of what you’re seeing on this tiny little x-ray. When I put it on a computer screen and digitize it and show where it’s at on a giant TV screen, it’s easier to accept. I can show the patient and I’ve got an AI program that circles caries or puts a box where there is a loss of bone. The patient can see that and there’s more treatment acceptance. So does that change my treatment? Yes, absolutely.”

When patients feel like they’re a part of the conversation regarding their care and that they have the knowledge and information that AI can provide them, they may be more willing to accept treatment. Going digital is not just a matter of if anymore; it’s now a must in the ever-shifting landscape of dentistry. Not only can it improve patients’ experience, but it can also boost revenue, make the dental practice more marketable, and help a practice stack up in a competitive market.

“For the practitioner, digitizing brings more accuracy to clinical work and to administrative work. It also is a fantastic marketing tool because patients are looking for this as an option. It’s adding revenue, it’s increasing patient awareness, and It’s bringing new patients in while giving current patients a better, higher quality of standard of care,” Sigler says. “It’s a win-win for everybody, and it’s only going to continue improving with increased provider adoption.”

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Dental practices have a large swath of options when it comes to digitizing and modernizing their equipment and offerings.