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CAD/CAM dentistry

Also called: CAD/CAM, CAD-CAM, computer-aided design and manufacturing

CAD/CAM dentistry is the use of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing to make dental restorations. A scan of the teeth is turned into a digital design, and the design is milled from a block or printed. It is used in dental labs and, for some work, inside the practice.

How it shows up between practice and lab

CAD/CAM changed what travels between practice and lab. A case can begin as a file that arrives in minutes, where it used to begin as an impression in a box.

The design step also creates a new handoff. A lab can send the dentist a design to approve before anything is made, and that approval needs an owner.

The finished work still has to be made, checked, packed and delivered. The dates on the Rx matter as much as they did before.

Read more in digital impressions vs traditional impressions and the digital crown workflow, from scan to seat appointment.

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