3D scanning and 3D printing have been two of the biggest jumps in technology over the last few years, and although at the beginning many people thought that we would never be able to find an actual practical use for that sort of technology, in fact there are more and more ways now that they are being used in day to day life. One of the more surprising areas that 3D scanning software is being used for really beneficial results is not within the fields of university research, as many predicted that it would, but instead in the world of diagnostic dentistry.
Dr Paige Woods, an eminent dental practitioner in San Diego, uses 3D scanning software on an almost daily basis, something that she could never have imagined doing when first starting out her dental training all those years ago. However, she is passionate about using modern technology and cutting edge research in order to help her patients better and better each year, and when she realise the incredible potential that 3D scanning software had, she just knew that the best thing for her patients was for her to look into things further.
What really impressed Dr Paige Woods at the very beginning of her search was just how small and compact the technology really was. In order for her to get a good 3D scan of her patient’s mouth, all she has to do is hold a very small cylinder, not much larger or bulkier than an electric toothbrush, and amazingly all of the technology that is required to take an accurate and impressively detailed 3D scan is packed into that small handheld device. There’s no powder, or strange chemicals that have to be used with this technology which makes things much more relaxing for the patients, and many of them do not even realise that they have being scanned with some of the most up to date technology that there is until it is all over.
The second aspect that really stood out to Dr Paige Woods when she was examining it was the ease of use. These 3D scanning software machines are not just easy to hold and manipulate with her hands, but because the software is pre-programmed to be able to look at all of the important things within a patient’s mouth, when she is using it there is no need for her to take any of her attention away from the patient. The technology is doing all of the hard work for her, and so there are no distractions that usually come into play when using complex technology, such as setting up, programming as you are using, and trying not to miss something important.
Once the 3D scanning software has completed its work – a function that only takes the best part of two or three minutes – a complete and unique scan of the patient’s teeth can be created by the computer technology. This 3D scan is then saved onto Dr Paige Woods’ computer system, ready to aid her in creating a treatment program, or just for monitoring over time. It is so much quicker and easier than a manual scan, much safer than doing an x-ray, and more accurate than attempting to draw one by hand. For Dr Paige Woods, this is the dental technology of the future: a way to better inform the dentist of the patient’s needs so that the very best treatment can be offered, all in a non-invasive and non-complicated way that is over in minutes. It may not have been the way that the inventors of 3D scanning software and technology had envisioned the technology being used, but it is certainly benefiting lives.
More about the author at paigewoods.com