If you’ve ever received a dental crown and had to wait multiple days or weeks wearing a temporary restoration while your permanent one was made, you’ll appreciate just how much modern technology has changed things. CAD/CAM technology, which stands for Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing, has become one of the most significant advancements in dental care in recent decades! Here’s a closer look at what this technology is and how it’s helping patients every day.
What Exactly Is CAD/CAM Technology?
CAD/CAM is a digital system that allows dental professionals to design and manufacture precise dental restorations right in the office, often in a single visit. The process involves a digital scanner that captures a highly accurate 3D image of your teeth, software that is used to design the restoration on screen, and a milling machine that carves it out of a block of ceramic or composite material.
How Does CAD/CAM Lead to Better Dental Restorations?
Before CAD/CAM, creating a dental crown required physical (and often messy) impressions, multiple appointments, and several weeks. Today, the entire process can be completed during a single appointment with no temporary crown required and all-digital impressions!
One of the most impressive benefits of CAD/CAM technology is the level of precision it brings. Traditional crown fabrication involves different variables at every step, from the accuracy of the physical impression to the skill of an outside dental lab technician. With digital scanning and computer-aided design, each step has a level of accuracy that’s not achievable by hand.
Plus, the digital scan captures literally thousands of data points across the surfaces of your teeth, creating a highly detailed 3D model. Your dentist can then manipulate this model on screen, adjusting the restoration’s shape, size, and thickness to achieve the best possible fit before it’s manufactured. They can also show you all of this while they’re doing it!
The milling unit then crafts the restoration from a solid block of material with inhuman accuracy. The result is a crown or restoration that fits more precisely, is more comfortable, and is undeniably natural-looking. For patients, this means less time in the dental chair overall, fewer appointments to schedule around a busy life, and a gorgeous final restoration that helps their smile.
About the Practice
Our team here at Encore Dentistry has proudly served the needs of patients and families in Arlington and the surrounding DFW metroplex for several years. Under the talented leadership of Dr. Nancy Cabansag, we offer a wide range of preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatment solutions, including same-day dental crowns! If you have any questions about the blog or you’re ready to schedule an appointment for yourself or a family member, you can call or reach out online for more information or assistance. Telephone: (817) 508-9881.