We’ve discussed in previous blogs how technology has changed the dental industry in the present day. And while tech is taking the dental industry, and other sectors of healthcare by storm, the future is surely a bright one. The future of dental technology is in the process of developing now. While many practices are in the early stages of implementing new tech, others may not have gotten there yet. For the dental industry, the future holds many new developments and improvements on what some practices are currently using. Here are a few tech tools that you may see in the dental industry within the near future:
Dental Regeneration
Regenerative medicine is a big topic surrounding the dental industry right now, and many professionals see big plans for the future. While we haven’t yet seen the full impact of what stem cell research can do, for dentistry, it could potentially replace the needs for traditional fillings and bonding with stem cell sources that could potentially maintain tooth-forming ability. There have already been studies where scientists are developing dental fillings that allow teeth to heal themselves with the use of stem cells encouraging the growth of dentin (the bone material that makes up a majority of a tooth).
Teledentistry
Many people are afraid and therefore reluctant to visit their dentist, while others, don’t feel as if they have the time or money. Teledentistry is a technology designed to combat these issues. Teledentistry can provide dental professionals with a virtual way to conduct live consults with patients while capturing images, taking clinical notes, and other tasks. We’ve seen this in the medical field already with on-demand virtual doctor visits. Imagine bringing that into the world of dentistry as well.
Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality is hitting many different industries from general healthcare to video games and computers. This technology can be utilized primarily for dental students and professionals looking to further their training. AR can provide accurate simulations that will assist professionals in improving their practices, and ultimately improving the patient experience.
Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality is another tech development that is making its way directly into the healthcare industry, amongst many others. This tech has the potential to not only help dental and healthcare professionals with their everyday tasks and general practice, but also their patients. VR has the capabilities to further train dental students and professionals by letting them virtually enter real-life situations just as they would by shadowing a dentist or other healthcare professional. Additionally, studies have shown that VR helps anxious patients in the dentist’s chair by providing them with relaxing and calming virtual distractions.
SurfCT.com is a dental information technology company, founded by Paul Vigario. With many different services and solutions offered to clients, SurfCT.com specializes in areas such as dental technologies, digital workflow, marketing, cloud solutions, and HIPAA compliance. SurfCT.com’s technology solutions are revolutionizing general, cosmetic, and pediatric dentistry, along with oral surgery, endodontics, orthodontics, and other specialized dental practices.