During the procedure, your mouth and jaw are scanned with a 3D camera, and then you can watch the practitioner design the replacement tooth and locate the precise position of the dental implant for optimal alignment.
by Dr. Nicholas Meyer —
A marriage often can be a great union. The field of dentistry has just witnessed the marriage of two digital technologies: low-dose 3D digital X-ray scans and 3D in-office computer-aided design and manufacture (CAD/CAM) of crowns.
This technological marriage occurred earlier this year, but it will take some time to filter into the general dental community. It is tailored to the advanced practitioner who replaces and restores teeth through the use of dental implants. It gives practitioners the ability to look into the bony architecture of the jaw to design “virtual” replacement teeth and then to target the dental implant site with extreme precision, based on the future tooth position.
Imagine going to a dental office in need of a replacement tooth. During the procedure, your mouth and jaw are scanned with a 3D camera, and then you can watch the practitioner design the replacement tooth and locate the precise position of the dental implant for optimal alignment.
Furthermore, the trend in dental implants toward non-metallic dentistry has been expanded into this field. Dentists now have zirconium oxide at their disposal for snow-white dental implants that are metal free.
The implant planning software on the new X-ray scanning device utilizes zirconium, as well as nearly two dozen similar products that are available to the doctor in the implant library. This is a distinct advantage to the patient who needs this type of service.
Nicholas Meyer, D.D.S., D.N.M., is a general dentist in Scottsdale, Ariz., who has a special interest in developmental disturbances of the facial complex that contribute to such maladies as TMJ, snoring and sleep apnea. 480-948-0560, [email protected] or www.milldental.com.
Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 30, Number 1, Feb/Mar 2011.
February 24, 2012
Dental, Health