Achieve the right balance between in-house milling and working with your lab

It’s difficult to understate the impact technology has had on dentistry in recent years. From digital smile design to cutting-edge new materials, developing technologies have transformed what the typical suburban dental practice can offer.

With help from a good digital dental lab, the local dentist can now offer sophisticated cosmetic, orthodontic and full-mouth restoration treatments that were once the sole domain of specialised practitioners.

This has changed patient expectations too. A visit to the local dentist is no longer limited to a routine clean and the occasional filling. Patients now see their neighbourhood dentist as a go-to practitioner for everything from teeth whitening and clear aligner treatments to full-mouth restorations.

Many dentists have embraced new technologies to add a competitive edge to their business. And, for many, it has been a successful move. But the rapid pace of technological development also means dental practices run the risk of being left behind.

For example, the recent development of in-house dental milling machines is ushering in the next big play in the dental arena — same-day dentistry.

For the patient, that means coming to see the dentist in the morning for a scan, then coming back in the afternoon to have their new crown fitted. The treatment isn’t stretched out across weeks or months. It’s completed in a single day.In-house dental milling machines are enabling suburban dental practices to manufacture crowns, veneers and simple bridges in-house, within hours.

While that’s an attractive proposition for patients, it requires a lot of careful back-end planning, investment and additional work for the dental practice.

Whether a move to same-day dentistry is worth the money you’ll need to put into it is not a simple question. The answer will depend on your individual circumstances, the relationship you have with a good digital dental lab, and where you see your practice going in the future.

We spoke with Dr James Tran, a dentist at Bonnells Bay Dental who has shared some key considerations to think about when weighing up a move to same-day dentistry:

How does a dental milling machine work?

Dr Tran uses an in-house dental milling machine to manufacture crowns, bridges and veneers for his patients. He explains that in-house dental milling machines use computer-aided design (CAD) software and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) equipment to mill dental products such as crowns, bridges and veneers from oral scans.

“We use an intra-oral scanner to create a picture of the patient’s mouth,” he says. “Instead of sending the scan to a dental lab, we can send it to our milling machine. Then the milling machine grinds down a ceramic block into the shape of a crown or a veneer.”

But that’s not the end of the process. Dr Tran says, depending on the material used, the milled crown then needs to be sintered and glazed in a separate oven and hand polished.

“The patient comes back later in the day, and we’ll check the fit of the crown. If it’s okay, we’ll proceed with putting the permanent cement underneath the crown or veneer. If it’s not perfect, we’d have to start the milling process again.”