Technology advances have had a great impact in the health industry, making it easier for professionals to provide better and more efficient service and treatments to patients.
CAD/CAM dentistry is one of these important innovations in dental health. It appeared for the first time in 1985 and has since then revolutionized the way dentistry restorations are made, providing great benefits for both patients and dentists.
What is CAD/CAM dentistry
When we talk about CAD/CAM dentistry, we refer to computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing. This means that through this method, dentists use a software that helps them perform different and complex procedures in a more accurate, fast and easy way.
Is CAD/CAM dentistry right for you?
Most dental patients are eligible for CAD/CAM dentistry. However, it will all depend on your dentist’s recommendations. Some of the procedures that can be performed through this method are:
- Crowns
- Veneers
- Inlays
- Onlays
- Bridges
Nowadays most dental health experts recommend using CAD/CAM dentistry because the results are more precise than with traditional methods.
Main benefits of CAD/CAM dentistry
There are many reasons why this method has become popular over the last years. Not only the results are much better, but it also makes procedures easier and simpler for dentists and patients. Provides:
- More accuracy in the results, which means there’s less risk of getting restorative dentistry that isn’t perfectly adapted to the patient.
- Less waiting periods, since it is no longer necessary the use of external labs to create your dental appliances.
- CAD/CAM dentistry eliminates the need of temporary restoration, since the whole process is done in one single visit to your dentist.
- There is no need for special care, you can keep your same hygiene routine than with your natural teeth.
So far CAD/CAM dentistry isn’t very common in the US, in fact, only 8-10% of American practices have an in-house CAD/CAM facility, which makes this procedure more expensive. However, there are some affordable options abroad for dental tourism.
Costa Rica has become one of the favorite destinations for many American and Canadian citizens for a variety of dental procedures thanks to the high-quality, professional dentists and affordable prices.
Steps to get CAD/CAM dentistry
Dentistry restorations with this method are done with custom 3D images of your tooth or teeth gotten through a scan. Then, your dentist will create a virtual design based on your impressions. Finally, this design is sent to a milling equipment that carves your restoration in a solid block made of restorative material.
The whole procedure can take from 40 minutes to about two and a half hours, and it follows 7 simple steps:
- Anesthesia
- Tooth preparation
- Intraoral scanning
- Restoration design
- Milling
- Sintering and polishing
- Cementation
If you need restorative work on your teeth, keep in mind that CAD/CAM dentistry is the best and fastest alternative available today. Come to Costa Rica for high quality dental procedures at affordable prices