The Technology Evangelist Podcast
The Technology Evangelist Podcast
Hosted by Dr. John Flucke, this weekly podcast delivers practical insights & expert conversations on the latest dental technologies - from AI and digital workflows to 3D printing & practice innovation - helping clinicians elevate care & efficiency.
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Episode 55: Hakwan Kim on AI-Powered Crown Design and the Future of Digital Dentistry

Episode 55: Hakwan Kim on AI-Powered Crown Design and the Future of Digital Dentistry

9/15/2026 9:00:00 AM   |   Comments: 0   |   Views: 38
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the way dental practices and laboratories approach digital workflows. In Episode 55 of The Technology Evangelist Podcast, host Dr. John Flucke speaks with Hakwan Kim, EVP of Imagoworks and head of its U.S. operations, about DentBird, an AI-powered, cloud-based CAD platform designed to simplify dental restoration design.

The conversation explores how AI can turn an intraoral scan into a production-ready design in minutes, reducing the technical barriers traditionally associated with CAD/CAM dentistry while creating new opportunities for dentists, dental teams, and laboratories.

From Medical AI to Dental CAD
DentBird was developed by Imagoworks, a technology company founded in 2019 by a team with extensive experience developing AI solutions for medical applications.

The company's technology has been used for applications including CT segmentation, implant customization, surgical planning, and registration of CBCT and intraoral scan data.

As the team explored opportunities in dentistry, they identified a significant challenge in digital restorative workflows: the technology was becoming increasingly accessible, but the design process remained complicated, expensive, and highly dependent on skilled CAD operators.

That gap became the opportunity for DentBird.

Hakwan Kim joined Imagoworks in 2021 after working in fintech and growth strategy and now leads the company's international expansion, including its U.S. operations.

Simplifying the Most Difficult Part of Digital Dentistry
The printer isn't necessarily the biggest obstacle to adopting digital dentistry. In many cases, the challenge is designing what you want to print.

Dr. Flucke recalls seeing early dental 3D printing demonstrations and being impressed by the manufacturing capabilities while simultaneously questioning whether dentists would realistically adopt the complex engineering software required to design restorations.

DentBird takes a different approach.

Because the platform operates through a web browser, users don't need specialized computer hardware or a powerful local workstation. The software uses AI to analyze an intraoral scan and automatically generate a proposed restoration.

For a standard single-unit crown, what once required specialized CAD skills can be reduced to a relatively simple review-and-edit workflow.

How AI Designs a Crown
One of the most impressive aspects of DentBird is how much of the initial design process happens automatically.

After a scan is uploaded, the system can identify the prepared tooth, determine the tooth number, establish an insertion path, analyze adjacent teeth and the opposing arch, and propose the restoration margin and crown design.

According to Kim, the AI was developed using millions of dental cases collected from around the world. A smaller subset of high-quality cases was then carefully selected and labeled for important design characteristics, including margins, insertion direction, and occlusal contacts.

The objective isn't simply to place a generic crown template over a preparation. The system analyzes the surrounding dentition and uses that information to generate a restoration designed to fit the existing clinical environment.

Automatic Tooth Detection
DentBird also addresses a surprisingly common source of workflow friction: entering the same information multiple times.

Dental teams may already document the tooth number in their practice management software and again within their intraoral scanner software. Re-entering that information in CAD software creates another opportunity for errors.

DentBird instead analyzes the scan itself.

The platform can identify prepared teeth without requiring the user to manually specify them. The same technology can be applied to multiple preparations, allowing users to move more efficiently into bridge and multi-unit workflows.

This type of automation illustrates one of the broader advantages of AI in dentistry: eliminating repetitive administrative and technical steps that don't necessarily add clinical value.

More Than Crowns
DentBird's current capabilities extend beyond single-unit crowns.

The platform supports:
  • Single crowns

  • Veneers

  • Bridges up to four units

  • Implant-supported restorations

The implant workflow can generate restorations directly on the abutment while automatically creating an appropriate emergence profile.

The company is also developing additional applications, including cut-back copings, longer-span bridges, splints, sleep apnea appliances, and personalized AI capabilities.

One particularly interesting concept is an AI system that learns from a user's own design history. As clinicians and technicians modify proposed restorations, those preferences could eventually help the software generate designs that better reflect an individual's clinical and esthetic preferences.

A Different Approach to Software Pricing
DentBird uses a subscription model based on the number of cases exported during a billing period.

However, users can access the design environment without paying simply to experiment or learn the platform. The cost is incurred when the completed STL file is exported for manufacturing.

That model could be particularly useful for dental practices training new team members. Staff can learn the software and work through cases without creating unnecessary costs while they're still developing proficiency.

Users who occasionally exceed their plan's case limit can also purchase additional exports rather than immediately moving to a larger subscription tier.

Dentists and Dental Labs
DentBird isn't designed exclusively for clinical practices.

Kim explains that the platform's user base is currently divided relatively evenly between dental laboratories and dental offices.

For laboratories, AI-assisted design can help address a familiar challenge: increasing case volume without having to add technicians for every routine restoration.

Rather than using highly skilled technicians for standard single crowns and straightforward bridges, laboratories can automate portions of that workload and allow experienced technicians to focus on more complex cases that require greater esthetic and clinical judgment.

For dental practices, the potential benefits include faster turnaround, greater delegation to trained staff, and the possibility of completing certain digital workflows within the practice.

The platform can also support multi-location organizations through master and sub-account structures, allowing teams across multiple offices to access shared workflows without relying on a single shared login.

Training With Real Clinical Cases
Learning new digital technology can be intimidating, particularly when the software is being introduced into an active clinical environment.

DentBird addresses this with live demonstrations and remote training sessions using the user's own cases.

Rather than learning exclusively from generic examples, users can work through the types of cases they actually encounter in their practices.

Kim says most new users can reach a functional level of confidence after working through just a few demonstrated cases, with additional training available for more advanced workflows.

New features are also supported by short instructional videos, while in-person support is available for offices that want additional hands-on assistance.

What AI Could Mean for the Future of Digital Dentistry
The larger message from this episode goes beyond DentBird itself.

Digital dentistry has often been limited not by the availability of scanners, printers, or milling machines, but by the expertise required to connect those technologies into a practical workflow.

AI has the potential to change that equation.

By automating repetitive design tasks, identifying anatomy, analyzing surrounding structures, and learning from clinical data, AI could allow more dental professionals to take advantage of digital manufacturing without becoming expert CAD designers.

That doesn't eliminate the need for dentists or technicians. Instead, it can allow them to spend more time reviewing, refining, and making clinical decisions rather than performing repetitive digital tasks.

The Takeaway
AI-powered dental design is moving rapidly from an emerging technology toward a practical component of everyday digital dentistry.

DentBird represents one example of how cloud computing and artificial intelligence can simplify CAD/CAM workflows for both dental practices and laboratories. From automatic tooth identification and crown design to implant restorations and future personalized workflows, the technology points toward a digital workflow that is increasingly accessible to the entire dental team.

For clinicians considering same-appointment restorations, practices looking to delegate digital design, or laboratories searching for ways to increase efficiency, AI-assisted CAD is a technology worth watching.

Listen to Episode 55 of The Technology Evangelist Podcast to hear Dr. John Flucke and Hakwan Kim discuss AI dental crown design, digital dentistry, CAD/CAM workflows, and the future of dental technology.

To explore DentBird and create an account, visit dentbird.com.

Episode 1: Sean Ryan & John Flucke on the Future of Digital Dentistry

Sponsored by Medidenta 

Medidenta has been helping dentists deliver better care for over 80 years. As the home of CR-rated Prophy Magic—and your go-to for Prophy Magic bulk deals—we’re also your trusted source for digital dentistry and 3D Printing solutions. We’re proud to support innovation in practices everywhere. And don’t forget—this is also home of The Technology Evangelist Podcast, featuring Dr. John Flucke.
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