Incorporating digital technology into everyday practice remains essential to UK College of Dentistry's mission to create 22nd century dentists. This month, John-Morgan Correll became the first UKCD student to utilize a digital workflow to complete a same-day dental crown placement — simplifying a weeks-long process into a few hours. 

Correll, who is a third-year student, says that gaining experience with digital systems is an advantage that will place him ahead of the curve upon graduation. 

"Digital won't be a foreign concept. I will have an understanding of not only how it works, but how it is done," he said. "I plan to use this knowledge in private practice. If a practice I am interested in joining has already implemented digital dentistry, I can be confident stepping in right out of school. If they haven't, I can be the one to suggest implementing these new systems to give our patients the best product that can be made." 

Correll performed the same-day crown placement under Dr. Rodrigo Fuentealba. He began by using a small handheld device called an intraoral scanner to produce a digital 3-D image of the patient's dentition. Next, the tooth that will receive the crown is prepared and drilled before receiving a subsequent digital scan. Once these scans are taken, the crown is designed using digital software. The completed design is then uploaded to a milling machine which cuts away from a single ceramic block to produce a crown within 10-15 minutes. The crown is placed on the patient's prepared tooth before being adjusted and stained to the desired shade. Additional aesthetic touches are given to make the crown look as realistic and natural as possible and finally, the crown is cemented. The entire process, Correll said, took just three hours to complete. 

"Digital dentistry is now a part of our curriculum," Fuentealba said. "This innovation will allow our students to improve quality of care and patient experiences." 

Patients reap numerous benefits from the use of these new digital systems. Traditional crown placement requires multiple appointments: one to prepare the tooth and have a temporary crown placed, and another several weeks later to remove the temporary and place the finalized version. The same-day crown eliminates the need for a second appointment — allowing patients to get back to work, school or whatever their daily schedule demands. Precise digital impressions taken with an intraoral camera provide a more comfortable and more accurate solution to traditional putty or paste impressions, which can often be very messy. Once the procedure is complete, patients can resume normal eating habits without having to worry about heightened sensitivity to hot or cold. Best of all, patients can rest assured that they are receiving a quality product that functions to the highest standards while improving both their aesthetics and oral health.  

"Digital is no longer the 'future' of dentistry," says Correll, "it is here."