CAD/CAM at Concierge Dental Design

The advantages and ease of CAD/CAM technology

How one dentist put seamless, single-day dentistry into practice

Dr. Youngmo Kang doesn’t think of himself as an early adopter of technology, but that hasn’t slowed his success when it comes to implementing CAD/CAM solutions at his dental practice.

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Embracing CAD/CAM solutions

Kang adopted a 3Shape TRIOS intraoral scanner a couple of years after opening Concierge Dental Design in New York City. More recently, he added the vhf Z4 milling unit.
 
“Once I jumped in, I really liked it,” says Kang, who notes the technology has improved greatly since he first started practicing in 2008. “Now it’s so user friendly and intuitive. It’s like Apple products compared to what we had before. I’m still learning, but I feel confident.”

Streamlining with digital dentistry

When Kang invested in his intraoral scanner, he wanted to create a seamless, digital dentistry experience for his patients, many of whom are young professionals working near his office in Manhattan’s financial district, he says. “We do a lot of aesthetics and single crown cases.”
 
Initially he used the scanner to take digital impressions that he then sent to the lab. When he wanted to design his own digital crown restorations and mill them on-site, he invested in his milling machine.
 
The combined CAD/CAM solutions enable Kang to create an improved single-visit patient experience for crown restorations. “Before, when a patient came back for a crown that had gone out to the lab, I had to cross my fingers that the margin and contact would be right,” he says. “If it wasn’t, I had to apologize to the patient, and if necessary, do a scan again – that’s another 30 to 40 minutes. Then, the patient had to come for yet another visit.”
 
Now, a patient comes for just one appointment, where Kang can scan a tooth, design a restoration, mill it, see how it fits and adjust it if needed, he says. “It saves chair time. The patient is very happy, and I’m happy.”

Seeing a difference during COVID-19

The ability to offer single-day dentistry is incredibly helpful to Kang’s patient base during the pandemic. Most are commuters to New York City who normally visit Concierge Dental Design while at work. With a lot of workplaces closed during COVID-19, these patients are now coming to Manhattan for dental visits from their homes in places such as Brooklyn, Queens, New Jersey and even Philadelphia, Kang says.
 
“Many patients I see say this is the first time they have been back to New York during the pandemic. CAD/CAM means the patient doesn’t have to travel twice for a crown. We don’t want them to have an unnecessary trip,” he says.

Provide single-visit dentistry

Offer complete restorations in one appointment

Make the most of patient chair time

Complete additional care during the design and milling process

Create comfortable crowns

Design the crown to the patient’s exact tooth structure

Discovering even more advantages

Kang has realized some unanticipated benefits when it comes to CAD/CAM technology. He can go from one chair to another and do two to three crowns at a time. Also, when he has patients in for crown restorations, he can make the most of their chair time by also conducting other restorations or cleanings during the design and milling process.
 
Another welcome discovery was being able to design the crown so closely to the patient’s exact tooth structure, Kang says. “When the patient comes in, we take a scan, and copy and paste the original shape of the tooth. Then when the patient walks out the door, they have a crown that feels very comfortable. Their brain doesn’t even have to adjust to the new tooth, and it works with their bite.”

Dr. Kang with his Patterson representative and CAD/CAM specialist

Feeling supported in adopting CAD/CAM

Kang says Patterson Dental has made it easier for him to implement his CAD/CAM solutions, noting CAD/CAM specialist William Pang is always there to help. “He is a very enthusiastic, nice guy who gets back to me right away. If he can’t figure it out, he calls the technician,” Kang says. “I think the help coming from Patterson is very important, especially in the beginning.”
 
Kang would encourage other dentists to consider CAD/CAM solutions, he says. “I wish more dentists would adopt CAD/CAM so they can enjoy it and their patients can enjoy it. It’s actually very intuitive, so don’t be afraid to jump in.”

“It saves chair time. The patient is very happy, and I’m happy.”

Dr. Youngmo Kang

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