The True Value Of Digital Dentistry-The True Value Of Digital Dentistry: Maximizing Your Digital Practice

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Video Summary

Dr. Joshua Austin’s webinar argued that digital scanners should be used for much more than replacing impression material. Using nostalgic photos of his father’s 1970s dental office, he contrasted old-school dentistry with today’s technology and showed how scanners can become the “digital hub” of a practice.<br /><br />His main message was that scanners improve diagnosis, treatment acceptance, and workflow when integrated into hygiene and new-patient exams. He described a “digitally driven new patient experience” in which every new patient is scanned, then the hygienist and dentist review the scan with the patient. Hygienists use the scan to point out tartar and obvious problems, while the dentist uses color, caries-detection, stone, and occlusal views to show decay, cracks, wear, recession, and malocclusion. He emphasized that this visual co-discovery helps patients understand their problems and say yes to treatment.<br /><br />Dr. Austin also highlighted scanner benefits in orthodontics, restorative dentistry, and lab communication. He showed how scans can support clear aligner treatment, guide crown and veneer cases, improve margin marking, and speed crown turnaround. He also discussed exporting STL files for 3D printing models, night guards, and other appliances. A major takeaway was that implementing scanning in hygiene can increase treatment acceptance and production, with his own practice seeing a substantial rise in restorative dentistry after adopting this workflow.<br /><br />Overall, the lecture positioned digital scanning as a practical, high-ROI tool that can modernize a practice and increase comprehensive care.

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Speaker: Joshua Austin, DDS, MAGD Subject: 138 Dental Photography Credits: 1.5 Audience: Dentists, Hygienists, Assistants, Students Fee: $125 (nonmembers); $75 (members); $37.50 (students) Description As clinicians, we often view digital impression scanners primarily as a replacement for using impression material. While this is a fantastic attribute of digital scanners, to only use this function is shortsighted. How can we maximize the return on investment of our digital scanning technology? The answer is astoundingly simple and will help us realize the true power of digital technology — patient communication. Learning Objectives · Explore the latest innovations and enhancements in intraoral scanning. · Learn how improved scanning amplifies practice productivity. · Discover how these devices can close the gap in patient communication. · Realize the true power of digital technology for your office. Speaker Bio Joshua Austin, DDS, MAGD, maintains a full-time restorative dentistry private practice in San Antonio, Texas. He is an editorial director and columnist for Dental Economics, focusing on dental products and technology. Austin lectures around the country to study clubs and dental meetings about these topics along with online reputation management and mental health. He is a graduate of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School, where he spent five years after graduation as faculty in the Department of Restorative Dentistry.

Keywords

digital scanners

dental practice

treatment acceptance

new patient experience

hygiene workflow

intraoral scanning

orthodontics

restorative dentistry

lab communication

STL files

3D printing

patient education