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ePaper created 2017-08-25, 17:58:13 | version 1.38.0
| practice management digitalisation in dentistry Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 6 Fig. 7 Fig. 10 Fig. 11 Fig. 12 Fig. 13 Fig. 14 responses. The majority did not use CAD/CAM technol- ogy, and the main barriers were initial cost and a lack of perceived advantage over conventional methods. Thirty per cent of the respondents reported being concerned about the quality of the chairside CAD/ CAM restorations. This is a valid point. We must not let ourselves lose focus that our aim should always be to provide the best level of dentistry possible. For me, digital dentistry is not about a quick fix; it is about raising our performance and improving predictability levels by reducing human error. In the survey, 89 per cent also said they believed CAD/CAM technology had a major role to play in the future of dentistry. I really cannot imagine that once a dentist has begun using digital processes that he or she would revert to conventional techniques. What is digital implant dentistry? Many implant clinicians have probably been using CAD/CAM workflows without even realising it, as many laboratories were early adopters, substituting the lost- wax technique and the expense of gold for fully custom- ised cobalt–chromium milled abutments (Fig. 1). One of my most important goals in seeking to be a successful implantologist is to provide a dental im- plant solution that is durable. We have seen a massive rise in the incident of peri-implantitis and have found that a large proportion of these cases can be attrib- uted to cement inclusion from poorly designed ce- ment-retained restorations (Fig. 2). Even well-de- signed fully customised abutments and crowns can have cement inclusion if the restoration is not care- fully fitted (Fig. 3). This has led to a massive rise in Fig. 15 Fig. 16 08 CAD/CAM 3 2017