By Matthew Standridge DDS, FAGD “Technology is best when it brings people together” -Matt Mullenweg I n the previous three parts of this Digital Orthodentist series, we have been discussing the rapid evolution of dental technology. Part 1 covered the data acquisition needed for digital dentistry using intraoral scanners. In Part 2, we covered one of the most versatile and lowest cost to entry of computer-aided manufacturing (CAD), which is in-office 3D printing and brings a level of versatility, control and cost-savings for the practitioner that can be considered as truly revolutionary. Also in Part 3, we covered in-office milling solutions that allow control and potential cost savings for the doctor when fabricating indirect restorations, but also improved customer service through benefits like same-day restorations. In this fourth and final part, it is the author’s goal to bring all three of these modalities together to show how practices can leverage this technology over multiple aspects of their patient care. Case Type 1: Diagnostic Waxups and “Trial Smiles” One of the most transformative uses for CAD/CAM dentistry is lever-aging the power of digital workflows for diagnostic waxups. Because the digital workflow is less labor inten-sive, the waxup process is much faster and less costly compared to traditional analog methods. In this case, we have a 55-year-old female with severe worn denti-tion and multiple missing teeth. In cases like this, multidisciplinary care is often called for, including the potential need for orthodon-tics. However, not all adults want to do orthodontics and would rather treat via restorative only, or as much as possible. Doing additive waxups is a perfect, low-cost solution to “test the waters” on what can be done via restorative only compared to an ortho-restorative combina-tion.(Figs. 1-3) Patient data was acquired using digital photography and an intra-oral scanner. This data was then submitted to an online designer. Using a good remote designer allows for high-quality designs, but at a fraction of the cost compared Fig. 1: Retracted Bite, Pre-op Fig. 2: Retracted Open Bite, Pre-op Fig. 3: Retracted Lateral Bite, Pre-op 12 Fall 2022 JAOS
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Fall 2022: Page 12
