May 19, 2021

Bristol Dental Specialists have fully embraced all aspects of digital technology to improve patient care, and communication between clinicians.  Our cloud-based software enables clinicians to easily collaborate with each other and during the Covid-19 pandemic this has proved invaluable.

The use of digital equipment in dentistry can make carrying out dental procedures far more efficient, both for restorative and diagnostic purposes.  Digital dental equipment has evolved over the last few decades and the use of digital imaging and data transfer improves accuracy and removes the need for re-work.  The technology behind intraoral scanners now makes them a vital piece of equipment to improve diagnosis and treatment planning, as well as increasing efficiency and patient satisfaction.

Digital scanning equipment has allowed us to move away from traditional dental moulds and gives us a far more accurate impression of patient’s teeth.  Digital impressions enable us to fit crowns, bridges, and veneers far more precisely with minimal or no adjustments at the fitting stage.  

The ability to create digital impressions has really made a difference.  We can reduce the overall length of treatment times, and costs, and enhance the patient experience.

• We can easily view scans on screen and show patients what we can do to put things right.

• We save time by eliminating visits to the post office to send work off to the technician

• Digital impressions arrive with the technician in real time and workflow can be tracked via the online portal.

• Impressions do not need to be repeated if some detail is missed off first time round – we can just make another pass over the poorly captured region.

• Paper laboratory prescriptions are a thing of the past and we can now essentially consult with our ceramicist online.

Digital scanning is also advantageous in accurate diagnosis of dental diseases.  The three-dimensional imaging has made the complex cranio-facial structures more accessible for examination and early diagnosis of dental caries.  The scanner allows us to zoom in and look at details very close up, it is fast and extremely accurate and allows us to see the size of cavities, cracked teeth, excessive erosion, and abrasion.

At Bristol Dental Specialists we offer Invisalign orthodontic treatment.  Digital scans are crucial for the creation of superior fitting Invisalign aligners.  A digital scan of a person’s upper and lower teeth can be taken, and in a short time a simulation can be created of the patient’s own teeth when straightened. When complex restorative work is then required, we can also ask our digital laboratory to simulate how this would look. It makes the consent process far easier as everyone can easily view the result we hope to achieve.

Digital imagery will allow us to keep referring dentists informed of their patient’s treatment. Changing from analogue to digital radiography has not only made the process of producing images of the inside of the mouth simpler and faster.  It has also improved image storage, manipulation (brightness/contrast, image cropping, etc.) and retrieval easier.

Your patient can benefit from our free initial video consultation so that we can assess their case and introduce our team and range of services.  We believe that specialist dental treatment should be available to everyone and we offer a range of interest-free and interest-bearing finance plans.  

If you are looking to refer a patient for Specialist dental treatment, then Bristol Dental Specialists accept referrals from all over the South West of England.  Our online referral forms are safe and secure or you can simply request a referral pack, completed forms can be returned to us via email or post.