Health-centered Dentistry in the Digital Age

Friday, 8:30am - 11:30am
Classroom:  Solana C

As dentistry continues to evolve, the role of the dentist and dental team can seem more ambiguous, creating more questions than answers. Airway or occlusion? Stress-management or an occlusal guard? Fluoride and tooth repair or nutritional counseling? Can we do it all? Should we do it all? If so, how? Would you be open to the possibility that the dentist and dental team can use all of its gifts and tools to move a patient towards appropriate and optimal health, one step at a time? The use of the CAD/CAM systems and model-free workflow is becoming an alternative to traditional techniques (like a facebow and articulator) more and more. A comparison of traditional and more modern digital techniques will be presented, as well as a road map for getting started.

This presentation will address the following:
• Review the flow of traditional analog data gathering and treatment planning flow and compare to current trends in the digital world
• Demonstrate the benefits of moving towards the digital world, as well as the current shortcomings
• Develop individualized transparent systems to support predictable clinical office flow
• Understand how to create a message to help every patient feel safe to move towards appropriate health
• How to intentionally create a co-discovery dental team for a congruent patient experience