Titled Revitalizing Patient Experiences through Modern Same-Day Dental Care
Cindy Roark, DMD, MS, serves as the Chief Clinical Officer and SVP at Sage Dental, and is a distinguished member of Harvard School of Dental Medicine's Board of Fellows. As digital advancements shape the dental landscape, so too do patient expectations. They increasingly desire faster, high-quality treatment options, leading to a shift towards same-day dentistry. This innovative approach condenses certain procedures into a single dental office visit, minimizing waiting times and improving efficiency.
Historically, traditional dental procedures required multiple visits and prolonged wait periods, resulting in a gap between diagnosis and actual treatment. However, recent technological advancements enable dental professionals to drastically cut down on these wait times, benefiting both patients and dental office staff.
My professional experience as a Chief Clinical Officer within the dental industry has highlighted the transformative impact various technologies can have on improving patient care. To remain competitive, dental service organizations (DSOs) and private practices must embrace innovative technologies that facilitate same-day care and enhanced overall treatment.
The Ascension of CAD/CAM Technologies
Cost has long been a barrier to widespread CAD/CAM technology adoption due to its high costs. But recently, the capabilities of in-house computer labs have expanded—providing more cost-efficient options for traditional lab work.
Computer-aided design/manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technologies now allow dental professionals to design and place prosthetics in a single appointment with improved precision. The use of advanced imaging technology to create digital impressions enables more accurate and customized dental solutions, such as crowns, dentures, and splints, without the need for uncomfortable traditional analog impressions and temporary restorations.
Intraoral scanners, a crucial technology driving this new level of efficiency, produce highly accurate 3D models of a patient's mouth quickly and effectively. Unlike traditional analog impressions that involve patients biting into impression trays resembling gooey material, intraoral scanners create clear and precise digital impressions in just a few seconds. This modern alternative not only reduces the need for multiple visits for fitting and adjustments, but also leads to better comfort for patients.
Chairside 3D printing is another technology that boosts operational efficiency in dental practices. 3D printing streamlines the production of custom-fit prosthetics, including crowns, dentures, implants, aligners, and retainers, creating an in-house workflow that saves time and costs for dental practices. When leveraged with intraoral scanners, this level of customization leads to enhanced treatment effectiveness and reduces the frequency of multiple appointments, reducing patient wait times and the need for physical mold creation.
Artificial intelligence (AI) also amplifies the functionality of CAD/CAM systems by increasing speed and precision in dental restoration creation. As AI adoption continues to surge, dental professionals are exploring its potential benefits in boosting patient satisfaction, streamlining production times, and enhancing design analysis.
AI has the ability to optimize printing parameters for customized restoration designs, automate much of the manually-intensive design process, and ensure the oversight of a human dental expert to make any needed adjustments.
Additional Solutions Bolstering Same-Day Dentistry
Another powerful solution driving same-day dentistry is teledentistry, which expedites the process by allowing for remote consultations and initial patient assessments via video calls or custom surveys. Teledentistry can also facilitate post-treatment care, enabling dental professionals to provide follow-up support asynchronously, reducing the demand for in-person visits and further accelerating recoveries after procedures.
Same-day dentistry has the power to revolutionize the industry by enhancing patient satisfaction, streamlining care, and enabling dental practices to operate more efficiently. As patients increasingly prioritize fast and convenient care, staying abreast of technological advancements is no longer an option, but a necessity. By adopting the right technology, dental practices can remain competitive and set new standards for patient care within the industry.
Our Website Business Council is the premier growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Does this organization apply to me?
Cindy Roark, with her expertise in dental technology and her role as the Chief Clinical Officer and SVP at Sage Dental, would likely find value in joining the Website Business Council to connect with other business leaders and stay updated on industry trends related to digital advancements in dentistry.
Furthermore, the advancements in CAD/CAM technologies, such as intraoral scanners and chairside 3D printing, that Roark has been instrumental in implementing at Sage Dental could provide valuable insights for other members of the Website Business Council seeking to leverage technology for their own businesses.
