As a practicing implant dentist with over 30 years of experience, I have seen pretty much every situation you could imagine.
From the simplest implant all the way to super complex full-mouth reconstructions, I have had many successes, but I’ve also had more than a few procedures that needed to be modified and corrected. This “success/failure” model is the foundational basis of the scientific experimentation process required to discover and create the latest innovations, products, and software for the dental implant ecosystem.
Implant dentists are actually dental reconstruction specialists. We are highly skilled in multiple areas, such as radiology, diagnosis, pathology, surgery, and restoration engineering. We rely heavily on digital tools to reconstruct missing teeth in the most biomimetic (lifelike) way by using the latest advancements in AI-driven surgical technologies.
No other areas of dentistry or medicine rely upon so many different AI technologies and innovative software. It’s these specific software innovations that are driving the future of implant dentistry—a very good thing for everyone, including the 38 million people who don’t have teeth in the United States. We owe it to our patients to brainstorm new ideas and theories, thoroughly test them, and evaluate the final results. It is this specific methodology that is necessary for innovation to bring about significant changes and improvements.
Advancing technologies is the area that really excites me about the future of dental implants and is the reason dentists now consistently deliver results! From initial diagnosis to treatment planning and final restoration, AI tools are being implemented at every step and serve as the catalyst for the explosive growth in today’s implant market. Here are four examples of AI-driven technologies that I rely upon every day in our practice:
Without experimental trial and error models, cutting-edge technological innovations would be extinct. AAID-credentialed implant dentists believe it is imperative to thoroughly evaluate innovations to redefine the future of dentistry and how bioengineering improvements are discovered.
Dental innovation is gaining momentum at a pace never seen before in history. We are still in the early chapters of the dental implant story. This is what the digital revolution in dental implants looks like in real-time, and it’s important to note that discoveries are being created in experimental laboratories as we speak.
The experimentation process is paramount to discovering innovations in the world of dental implants and our new AI-driven technologies are completely reshaping this new frontier. It’s absolutely amazing how many new and innovative tools are being introduced daily—and this is only the beginning. The next five years will bring numerous advancements that we can only imagine today. The future of dental implants is bright!
Mark Whitefield, DDS, AFAAID, AAACD, practices reconstructive dentistry in Nashville, TN. He is a 4th generation dentist with 30 years of implant experience. Dr. Whitefield is one of two dentists nationally who are accredited by both the American Academy of Implant Dentistry and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. His passion lies with his dental technology startups, Implant Evolution and Whitefield Biomedical, both of which are located in Nashville.
Dr. Whitefield can be reached at mark@ImplantEvolution.com
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