Digital technology is present in our lives almost everywhere, and its advantages in many respects are known by everybody. Today, probably no one imagines, e.g. architecture and designing buildings with a pencil, paper and a ruler, because computer software is used for this purpose, in which designers work on all kinds of structures in 3D, and the software generates a list of all components and materials needed to implement a given design into reality. The introduction of modern digital technology to dentistry was just a matter of time, as its precision, speed of action and computing capabilities provide dentists and their patients with a new dimension of treatment. It is obvious that no digital technologies can function without human supervision, and in this case, an experienced dentist, and they allow him to use solutions that are not available in a traditional manner. Many orthodontists treat their patients using such systems as INVISALIGN or INCOGNITO, which were created thanks to modern, digital solutions, and are highly valued around the world. Orthodontics is one of those fields of dentistry, which in terms of modern, digital solutions has been recently given a lot of attention by manufacturers. Such devices as CT scans, digital panoramic radiography, intraoral dental scanners, modern CNC machine tools, and specialist software for analysis and design of patients’ smiles are used in many clinics around the world on a daily basis. Orthodontists who have access to such advanced technologies can, e.g. cover a patient’s tomography (made using a CT scan) with a digital scan of teeth (made using an intraoral dental scanner), and thus they can perform a simulation of effects of treatment in a given patient. Silver Dental Clinic is equipped with the latest intraoral scanner and specialist orthodontic software. The use of such modern digital orthodontic technology requires a professionally trained team: orthodontist – orthodontic assistant – orthodontic technician. Therefore, both orthodontists, orthodontic assistants, and technicians have undergone a series of specialist training in this area in our clinic. We are proud of the fact that orthodontic technicians working in our laboratory are the best specialists in the field of digital solutions in orthodontics in Poland. With their support our orthodontists can effectively implement orthodontic treatments using the latest digital technology.
The most important element of modern digital dentistry is to obtain a 3D digital image of teeth, which is an equivalent of a traditional impression. At Silver Dental Clinic we use the world’s newest intraoral dental scanner – Trios Color by 3Shape. The tip of this modern digital device is scanned patient’s teeth which appear on the scanner’s monitor in colour in an online mode. The scanning process is very fast and completely painless. Immediately after scanning the patient’s teeth, the dentist has a preview of the so-called occlusion map, which presents information about the force of contact of a teeth bite. The distribution of forces is presented using a map of colours. This is important information as the distribution of forces in a correct bite should be uniform. During an orthodontic treatment a doctor should strive not only to achieve a uniform, beautiful smile, but also a uniform distribution of forces in the occlusion. The patient’s teeth scan obtained using an intraoral scanner scan is transferred for analysis in an orthodontic laboratory.
Teeth scanned in the dentist’s office are sent to the server from which they are downloaded to specialist orthodontic software by a technician.
In the software the model gets special bases, and then measurements are made on the teeth in 3D, based on which different kinds of indicators needed for proper planning of an orthodontic treatment are calculated.
Then, a virtual simulation of effects of the treatment is made. If the technician has the patient’s CT scan it can be applied to cover the scanned teeth, simulating the orthodontic treatment and showing the arrangement of roots of the teeth.
There are many possibilities of the virtual bite analysis and they are precise so that in a very short time we have access to information that the orthodontist needs.
In many cases of an orthodontic treatment the orthodontist must make a decision whether it is required to remove some teeth to achieve the desired treatment effect. Making a virtual simulation of the orthodontic treatment tells clearly whether such extraction is necessary or not.
