Digital dentistry, from scan to restoration

The workflow

1. Scan. An intraoral scanner records the teeth and bite digitally, without traditional impression trays for most cases.
2. Image. A cone beam CT gives a 3D view of the bone, nerves and sinuses when implants or bone are involved.
3. Design. Restorations are designed in exocad software. Implant positions can be planned against the bone in the same digital plan.
4. Make. Restorations can be milled or 3D printed in the office, and implant surgery can be guided by the plan.
5. Check. Fit and bite are checked at delivery, and the digital records stay on file for maintenance or future work.

Why it matters for complex cases

In a full-mouth or implant case, the most important decisions come before treatment: the length and shape of the teeth, the bite, and where implants must sit. A digital plan lets those decisions be seen and discussed in advance rather than discovered along the way.

Dr. Lal and digital dentistry

Dr. Lal’s master’s thesis at Columbia concerned stereolithographic surgical guides for implant placement, and he was first author of two 2006 Journal of Prosthodontics papers on the technique. In an exocad interview published in April 2022, he describes combining intraoral scanning, exocad software and a Sirona 5-axis mill in his practice.