You Get Out What You Put In

The adoption of technology to improve practice is not a new phenomenon in dentistry. However, in the beginning, digitalization had more of an effect of upgrading our existing processes, such as transitioning us from using film to digital radiographs. But more recently, the explosion of newly available technologies is completely transforming our approaches and workflows, enabling us to deliver better outcomes for our patients and also improving our efficiency and profitability.

This transformative effect is perhaps most noticeable in our more complex workflows. In this month's special issue on technology, a case report by Tawil and colleagues exemplifies many of the cutting-edge technologies that can be incorporated into a full-arch rehabilitation. For example, the merging of intraoral scan data with facial scan data permits a more comprehensive analysis of the relationships for smile design than the use of photographs, and the use of elongated scan bodies enables the edentulous arch to be scanned with high accuracy. The case also demonstrates the use of 3D printing to produce an immediate provisional restoration. Traditionally, we would have to retrofit an existing denture or have a provisional prosthesis milled by a laboratory. But here, the FP1-style provisional prosthesis is designed and printed right in the office, immediately delivering esthetics and helping to create a proper emergence during the healing phase.