Dentistry I must say is a constantly evolving field with new technology coming up every now and then.

Modern dentistry is totally technology driven. Right from determining the exact shape, size or colour of your new tooth to performing a complex surgical procedure, artificial intelligence helps us in all. Even the appointment scheduling, diagnosis and treatment of your dental problems is totally technology driven.

For instance taking dental impressions with some clay like materials inside the mouth which most patients dread about, is getting replaced with devices which can directly scan your teeth. The accompanying soft wares which are AI driven even helps us to know whether all the required fields have been recorded precisely or not, and corrections can be made immediately. The CAD CAM soft wares help the laboratory to digitally design the entire crown on the computer and directly mill by the machine. This is like a magic wand, where in the human role is only for giving the commands on the computer and the execution is done directly by the machine.

Artificial intelligence also helps us to plan all the dental surgeries prior to the procedure.

A dental implant can be placed in the jaw with digital planning with subsequent no need of any stitches thereby reducing patient morbidity. However any technology comes with its own caveats. Secure patient data is one of the major concerns. Plus with the advances the cost of the dental treatment too shoots up which in India is also a major concern since it's not covered under medical insurance.

Also access of these devices in the rural areas might be a concern.

To summarise, AI technology driven treatment is in fact the standard of care in the current era thereby improving treatment outcomes and making dental treatments a smoother one!

Dr. Himanshu Manudhane, MDS, Periodontist

Email: himanshumanudhane@gmail.com