Realizing the Benefits

Without a doubt, some of the most significant changes to the practice of dentistry in the last few decades have resulted from advances in technology. Some have simply been improvements on existing technologies, such as the transition from film-based to digital radiography; others have provided totally new approaches, such as the incorporation of lasers for treatments; but the most influential advances have been those involving intraoral scanning and CAD/CAM, which are fueling the transition to digital dentistry by enabling the creation of wholly transformative workflows that have helped to increase the accuracy and predictability of virtually every aspect of practice from restorative procedures to orthodontics and more. Indeed, whether clinicians are realizing the advantages of technology through their laboratories or realizing them in-house through the incorporation of new devices and protocols, everyone in the profession is benefiting.

One area in which technology has had the greatest impact is in the fabrication of restorations. Improvements in milling and milling materials have delivered efficiencies for laboratories as well as dentists who want to make their own restorations. As that technology has advanced, the introduction of 3D printing offered an alternative for the creation of temporary restorations via additive manufacturing; however, the creation of permanent restorations using this method has remained out of reach and mired in development—until now. In the cover story for our 2022 special issue on technology, Inside Dentistry explores some of the cutting-edge materials that have recently been approved to 3D print permanent restorations and discusses the advantages of this approach, as well as the necessary considerations, when compared with milling.