Unit 4 In-House and Outsourced Digital Workflow

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and definitions related to digital workflows in dentistry.

Digital Workflow

A sequence of predefined tasks executed by various people within a work environment.

In-House Production

Fabricating a product oneself or within one's company.

Outsourcing

Having someone else make a product for you.

Return on Investment (ROI)

A financial ratio that measures the profitability of an investment by comparing its gain or loss to its cost.

Standardized Workflow

Workflows that are consistent in quality, improve communication, and increase efficiency.

Digital Dental Clinic

A dental practice that utilizes digital technologies for procedures to enhance patient care and operational efficiency.

Technical Training

Training provided to staff to effectively use digital equipment and software.

Cultural Resistance to Change

A reluctance to adopt new technologies or methods due to uncertainty or discomfort.

Patient Engagement

The involvement of patients in their treatment planning and decision-making process.

Benefits of Digital Workflow

Includes increased quality, faster results, standardized processes, and enhanced communication among the dental team.

What is the impact of digital technologies?

-The dental profession is being impacted by digital technologies.

-The amount and types of jobs are changing.

-Implementation of technologies affect levels pf dental offices.

Impact on office staff

Can store and analyze a large amount of patient data using dental office management software.

Impact on dental hygienists and assistants

Will need to know how to use and how to properly sterilize/sanitize:

• Dental scanners and digital X-rays

Impact on technicians

Will need to learn CAD/CAM lingo, workflows, and processes.

• They need to learn how to maintain safety around new materials and how to maintain new equipment.

• They will also need to be able to communicate what they need from a dental office to fabricate a prosthesis.

Impact on Dentists

Will need to learn the processes of new technologies in the office as well as in the lab.

• This will help with communication to patients, office personnel, and technicians. In turn, better communication will lead to better patient outcomes.

Ways digital technologies are enhancing dentistry

Oral Surgeries

• Now are more accurate and faster thanks to the use of surgical guides made with digital technologies

Oral Diagnosis

• Digital imaging and new software tools help enhance oral diagnosis

Esthetic outcomes

• New materials, such as zirconia and new ceramics, would not be able to be produced without CAD/CAM technologies.

• Machinery can work continuously with more accuracy and speed than humans (although a human is still needed to operate, program, and invent said machinery).

What are the struggles in implementation of new technologies?

Investment cost, technical education, and cultural resistances to change.