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CAD/CAM - international magazine of digital dentistry

to the gingiva. But how can you show that to the patient when it is on the lingual side? In the old days, I would have tried with a mirror or taken a photograph and loaded it on the com- puter or an iPad. This would have taken 20 minutes. The patient would have been looking at his or her watch, thinking about getting out of the office. Thekeyinsituationsliketheseisspeed.So,nowwhat I have started doing is taking a scan and obtaining a color digital impression in 3-D. If I scan the patient, I can take the image of the lateral incisor, flip it and point out to the patient whatIseethatheorshecannot.Thescanshowsthe crack. The patient would ask me to suggest treat- ment and I would recommend scheduling a crown. The patient would agree because it is such a con- vincing demonstration. We are helping patients to codiagnose. _So the scan serves to educate and, in a way, empowerthepatient? The best patient is an educated patient, but the communication or educational process has to be quickandintuitive.Itcannotentailcapturinganim- age, loading it on to the computer, locating the im- age, etc. So now, rather than taking out the camera and iPad, I reach for the TRIOS. The idea of having a scanner in every room and having a hygienist pick up the scanner is becoming a reality in our practice. _Do you envision scanning being a routine part ofapatientvisit? There is so much information that I can now see from looking at the enlarged scan. It is like looking through my loupes that give four and a half times the magnification. With a scan, I can expand the image on my screen to be as large as I like. Basically,Icanimagineususingascannerfornot just some patients, but EVERY patient. I definitely see a day when we scan each patient as part of our routine. _Do you think that one day decisions on treat- mentcouldbemadebyjustreviewingdigitalscans? Do you mean do I imagine a day when I could be sitting in my beach house in the Bahamas leafing throughscansonmylaptop?Itwouldbenice,butit will not happen because so much of our success is based on relationships and personal contact._ I 49CAD/CAM 3_2015 Dr Jonathan L.Ferencz is a diplomate of theAmerican Board of Prosthodontics and Clinical Professor of Prosthodontics and Occlusion in the Department of Prosthodontics at the NewYork University College of Dentistry, where he has taught since 1972.He is alsoAdjunct Professor of Restorative Dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. CAD/CAM_about feature _ interview I

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