As with everything in medicine, things are constantly changing. This includes technology in the dental industry.
Dentists constantly have to keep up with new trends in dental care and treatment. While the ever-changing technology may be difficult to keep up with, it is useful for dental professionals and their patients alike.
New and improved dental technology means an improved experience with exams, procedures, care, and more. You need to know the latest dental technology so that you can better care for yourself.
We have a list of the hottest digital trends from the dental industry that you need to know about. Just keep reading.
Smart Toothbrush
By now, you have probably heard of electric toothbrushes. However, smart toothbrushes take it a step further.
Smart toothbrushes have capabilities like no other toothbrush has. It can sense and track your brushing habits via internal technology.
Smart toothbrushes are great for anyone who may need to get better at their tooth brushing habits. However, they’re especially useful for children who are just learning how to brush their teeth well.
There are even some smart toothbrushes that can help you learn how to take care of braces, dentures, and other dental equipment.
Teledentistry
Telemedicine is quickly evolving and improving, especially recently. The same is happening for teledentistry.
It may seem odd given that dentists have to view the inside of your mouth, but teledentistry is very effective. Usually, a dental professional will record the history of the patient and take images of the inside of their mouth. These will then be sent off to a dentist who will determine whether or not anything needs to be done for the patient.
If the patient does need to have a procedure done, they can then find an in-person dentist to see. If not, they just eliminated half of the work that goes into seeing a dentist (while saving some money on their bill).
Teledentistry is very useful for people who live in smaller towns who don’t have enough dentists for the local population.
Intra-Oral Camera
One of the most uncomfortable feelings at the dentist is when you have to keep your mouth open while the dentist does their work. Keeping your mouth open for a long period of time is extremely uncomfortable.
To keep patients more comfortable during their appointment, scientists created an intra-oral camera. This is a mirror connected to a device that can go into your mouth. Your dentist can look inside of your mouth while you keep it closed.
Some intra-oral cameras have attachments that allow dentists to perform procedures with your mouth closed as well. As always, this kind of technology is being improved every day so that it can be used for more and more reasons.
Augmented Reality
Most people know about augmented reality and how it’s used in video games. However, it has recently been integrated into the medical field in many ways.
Augmented reality is mainly used in the medical field for medical students. These students can look at images using augmented reality rather than depending on 2D images from their (possibly outdated) textbooks.
This kind of technology can also better mimic different conditions that dental students need to be familiar with before seeing patients themselves.
Augmented reality has the capability of preparing students for having a dental practice before they actually see people in person. This can help prevent any early errors and make sure that these more recent dental classes are more prepared than they ever have been.
Digital Dentures
Digital dentures allow dentists to create dentures for their patients quicker than ever. Usually, someone who needs dentures has to go to multiple dental visits. Now, they only have to go once.
Digital denture systems take the molds that dentists have made from the patient’s mouth and create dentures quickly. All the dentist has to do is take the mold.
These systems also tend to be more accurate and more comfortable than older methods. They use precision technology to create the dentures with new and improved material.
Digital dentures make having dentures easier for patients and dentists.
3D Printing
In addition to digital denture systems, there are also 3D printing systems that allow dentists to create aligners, crowns, veneers, tooth replacements, and quicker than ever. 3D printers work similarly to digital dental systems.
Dentists gather a mold of the patient’s mouth. 3D printers can then take that mold and create whatever is needed for the patient. They are also similar to digital denture technologies in that they are more accurate and comfier to wear.
3D printers are also capable of creating a line of products for dental patients. For example, a patient may need a line of aligners if they’re looking to use clear aligners to straighten their teeth. Usually, this process takes a long time to complete.
3D printers can use updated computer technology to make projections of what the patient’s teeth will look like after wearing each size of aligners for a certain amount of time. Using these predictions, they can make several aligners for the patient.
This process allows 3D printers to create the entire set of aligners for the patient before they’ve even started their treatment. Now, the patient doesn’t have to come in every few weeks. They have every aligner they need for the entirety of their treatment without having to get remeasured.
Keeping Up With the Dental Industry
With ever-changing technologies, keeping up with the dental industry can be tough. It seems like dentists are using new technologies every single time we walk into their office. From new x-ray machines to teledentistry, there seems to be something new each time.
These new technologies are making our experiences at the dentists more enjoyable and quicker. As more and more technologies emerge, our experiences with the dentist may be completely different.
The dental industry is always working to make procedures easier, visits faster, and mouths healthier.
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