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Professional Courtesy: The Promise of Technology by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD

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I've always said that one of the most difficult things about being a dentist is the fact that I can't do it from home. Technology and innovation have made it possible to do so many things from home, or from wherever we happen to be with our smartphones—without ever leaving my house, I can find a ride, a radiologist can read my MRI or I could meet a group of people for a video meeting.

Of course, when you talk to people who work from home, they'll be quick to say that it's not as much fun as you might think—it can be lonely, and productivity doesn't always come easy. I still think it would be fun to do a crown prep in my pajamas; right now I wear scrub pants and a jacket, so I'm getting close. I suspect many people would still prefer to leave work at the office, so we'll spend the balance of our time considering the advances in technology that are much closer to reality. Digital impressions

The ability to take a scan instead of an impression is a pretty powerful advancement in dentistry. This technology is here today and growing by the minute. The future of this technology may include the ability to make replacement teeth that look exactly like the ones your patients had when they were teenagers. We may also see the ability to scan a crack or find decay without the use of X-rays. Today we can already appreciate the efficient workflows, opportunities to provide lab services in office and the “wow factor” for patients. If you don't think this technology is part of your future, you may still own a flip phone or have a sinking feeling that the government will be monitoring your finish lines.

Big data
You've heard this term plenty of times. Data is the byproduct of using computers for everything under the sun. We can collate, slice and dice reams of data to find the answer to questions we didn't know we had. Insurance companies have been tracking our habits for years—they know with some certainty how often a crowned tooth requires a root canal and how long the average direct composite lasts, and soon they'll know if your diet is affecting your treatment plans. (Yes, I made that last one up.)

Dentists with practice management software have been collecting data on thousands of patients over many years. There are toothbrushes that can collect data on your brushing habits. Large labs collect data on the materials used for restoration. Claims data can tell us what happened to patients, but our dental records could show what condition the patients were in leading up to that claim. I know this is starting to sound a bit too much like Big Brother, but I'm hard-pressed to name any significant piles of data that have been overlooked for mining.

Magic materials
We're seeing food that's been genetically modified, and organs being 3-D printed. In dentistry, the term “bioactive” is popular because it implies something that will interact with our bodies in a favorable way. Until this point we had been happy with “biocompatible,” which simply means your body shouldn't get too upset. Future materials will likely transform into the tissue they are replacing, or at the least facilitate the growth of new tissue. This already happens with some bone and tissue replacement. Could dentin and enamel be too far behind? Will we soon be able to grow new teeth?

While tooth seeds are probably a long shot, I'm looking forward to materials that will better replicate natural teeth and provide a longer-lasting solution for the patient. Dentistry has always been a profession that seeks to eliminate itself through prevention, but we know that ideal is far from reality.

Which future trends do you hope to see in the next five years? Ten years? Share your thoughts in the comments section for this article online at Dentaltown.com. If you would like to use good old email, you can reach me at tom@dentaltown.com.



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April 2024
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