It is becoming more common to see new innovative breakthroughs in dentistry almost on a daily basis. Many of the advances are the result of technology from other industries that have been tweaked and improved for new healthcare solutions.

For example, CAD/CAM was from the manufacturing sector, and today it is one of those technologies that have changed dentistry forever — and for the better.

Other Emerging Technologies Changing Dentistry:

Ultrasound

Ultrasound technologies on the medical side have impacted the medical arena in the last decade. Companies like Green Imaging have taken diagnostic imaging and created affordable healthcare services that for years was a monopoly controlled by hospitals and insurance companies.  Green Imaging is one of the fastest growing diagnostic imaging providers in the country. Today the dental industry is picking up on such innovations and creating services such as high-tech ultrasounds of the mouth, neck, and jaw that were neither affordable or findable even just a few years ago. This is a game changer! We will see more advances in this technology in the coming months and years ahead.

3-D Printing

An exciting era in dentistry is the evolution of 3-D printing. Carbon is a leader in this new technology that was initially developed for manufacturing. Dentistry has taken Carbon’s advances in 3-D printing technology and with their guidance has changed dentistry forever. A good example is Burbank Dental Lab who uses several Carbon 3-D printers in the development of dental implants and teeth. The advantages of such technology according to Tony Sedler, President of Burbank Dental Lab in his article, Burbank Dental Lab Installs Cutting Edge Caron’s M2 3D Digital Printers is speed for quicker turnaround times, more accuracy in the printed models, and innovative materials make it easier to cater to all dental production needs.

Robotics

This year the FDA approved the first robot designed for dental implant surgery. The robot is designed to ensure accurate and precise oral surgery with dental implants specifically in mind. This technology could be another game changer in dentistry and every other industry as well. Who would have thought dental surgery could be robotized?

Perhaps robotics could eventually be used to automate simple single-crowns or other minimally invasive in-office dental procedures that have required large dental teams and a surgical operatory.