The era of digital dentistry

Digital dentistry is the new norm and every dentist should adopt this technology that increases awareness, encourages treatment acceptance, and elevates the level of care offered to the patients.

The digitalization in dentistry started with the introduction of radiovisiograph provided ease of operation and predictable results that made us shift from conventional radiographs seamlessly, which were cumbersome and non-standardized. Digital radiography has made diagnosis definitive, documentable, and with the possibility of exchange of information. Recently, cone-beam computed tomography has changed the way we evaluate the hard tissue and opened up newer avenues for diagnosis and treatment planning.

In restorative dentistry and endodontics, the digital workflow involves a whole array of things which include the electronic health record documentation, digital radiography, intraoral scanner, laboratory scanner, 3-D printing, CAD/CAM, artificial intelligence, machine learning, guided endodontics, and endodontic surgeries along with the newer material used to fabricate restoration which has taken dentistry to a whole new level. Mainly intraoral scanners have numerous applications and must-have devices in the near future; they are capable of generating oral health reports, orthodontic simulation, restoration planning chairside, and many more.

Digital technology alone cannot deliver a successful outcome, one must understand that the clinical skills of the dentist play a key role. The use of magnification enhances visualization thus improving the clinical skills along with a digital process that will help us to deliver state-of-theart biomimetic and predictable restoration to our patients.