Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download
ePaper created 2016-10-04, 09:33:57 | version 1.38.0
den of complicated execution in oral rehabilitation. Clinicians will have more sophisticated tools in every phase of treatment planning and execution. This will allow them to give greater attention to patients’ ex- pectations and details that are sometimes compro- mised, as clinicians focus on the execution barriers often imposed by the workflow. Patients will benefit because automatisation has the potential to reduce treatment time, improve the treatment experience, potentially reduce overall cost and increase success rates. What would be a good combination of the best of both conventional methods and CAD/CAM regarding dental restorations? In my opinion, with the currently available technol- ogy, functional and aesthetic diagnostics in dental medicine should be a human-based, human-exe- cuted task. To give an example, although I find digital tools of interest in aiding patient–clinician–techni- cian communication, morphology assessment, dis- cussion and approval should be a process involving real intra-oral prototypes (regardless of the way these are obtained during the diagnostic workflow). Regarding definitive restorations, I think that the fu- ture is unpredictable, as bioengineering is advancing at a fast rate. So, it is unlikely that ceramic materials willbecutting-edgein30years’time.Fornow,wecan make monolithic restorations with 3-D staining and glazing, combined with mechanical polishing. This integratesamazinglyinmanyclinicalscenariosandis likely to become a trend as materials improve every year.Itmaybethat,inthenexttenyears,laboratories can print dentine mamelons and inner characterisa- tion effects, which would make handcrafted veneers and crowns a thing of the past. A recent study in Japan has investigated the pos- sibilities of a robotic device for automatic tooth preparation. Do you think that this is a realistic scenario for the near future? As Tom Davenport stated early this year, “…smart leaders will realise that augmentation—combining smarthumanswithsmartmachines—isabetterstrat- egy than automation.” Evolution will happen in both directions, as smarter machines will require smarter minds.Ibelievethatthedigitalfutureholdspromising prospects. Never before have we witnessed so many young talented dentists eager to share their experi- ence and contribution to dental aesthetics. Materials willimproveevenfurtherinthenearfuture,withbet- ter functional performance and chameleon effects. 3-D printing will enable multilayering to be an auto- mated process, reducing human resources spent on minor tasks and allowing professionals to focus on planning and decision-making during fabrication of dental prostheses. Dental aesthetics will become more attractive for the patient, and more clinicians willbeabletodeliverrestorationswithahigh-quality standard to their patients._ | feature interview 08 CAD/CAM 3 2016 32016