Milling
Also called: CAM milling, dental milling, subtractive manufacturing
Milling is cutting a restoration out of a solid block or disc of material with a computer-controlled machine. Labs and some practices mill crowns, bridges, abutments and veneers from zirconia, glass ceramics and other materials, following a digital design. Some materials are finished in a furnace after milling.
How it shows up between practice and lab
Milling speeds up production. The time around it is unchanged: a crown can be milled quickly and still wait a day for a missing shade.
In a practice with its own mill, the dentist designs and mills the crown while the patient waits. Those cases never reach a lab, and they still need a record.
Labs plan milling in batches by material. A case that arrives complete can join the next batch, and one with an open question waits for the one after.
Read more in digital impressions vs traditional impressions and same-day crowns vs lab crowns.
Related terms
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