Digital Scanning and CAM (CAD/CAM)
- Estimated Time: 60 min
- Credits: 1.0 CEU
- Passing Score: 70%
Course Overview
Digital intraoral and benchtop scanning has transformed the way dental impressions are captured, replacing many of the discomforts and inconsistencies associated with traditional elastomeric materials and analog models. This course examines how digital scanning technology works, from camera and light source mechanisms to file architecture, and how it integrates with CAD/CAM workflows to improve accuracy, efficiency, and patient comfort.
Participants will explore the differences between complete in-office CAD/CAM systems and stand-alone intraoral scanners, along with practical applications such as shade matching, diagnosis and monitoring, and occlusal analysis.
From there, the course turns to computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM), the final and arguably most transformative step in the digital dental workflow, turning a CAD-designed restoration into a physical, patient-ready product. Participants will examine how dental milling units use subtractive processes to shape restorations from solid blocks of material, and how additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is expanding what's possible in the dental practice and laboratory.
By understanding these tools and their capabilities, dental professionals can make more informed decisions about incorporating digital scanning and CAM technology into their own practice or laboratory workflows.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, participants will be able to:
- Identify the limitations of traditional analog impression techniques and explain how digital scanning addresses these challenges.
- Describe the key components of digital dental scanners, including camera type, light source, and image capture mechanisms.
- Differentiate between active triangulation, active wavefront sampling, ultrafast optical sectioning, parallel confocal imaging, and laser triangulation scanning technologies.
- Explain the difference between open and closed architecture digital impression files and the impact on interoperability between systems.
- Compare complete in-office CAD/CAM systems with stand-alone intraoral scanners in terms of workflow and restoration fabrication.
- Describe clinical applications of digital scanning, including shade matching, diagnosis and monitoring, and occlusal analysis.
- Recognize the benefits of digital scanning for patient comfort, treatment planning, and collaboration among dental treatment team members.
- Describe the subtractive milling process used in dental CAM and how it differs from industrial CNC manufacturing.
- Compare the axis configurations of chairside, desktop, and laboratory/milling center CAM units and their impact on precision and production capacity.
- Differentiate between subtractive (milling) and additive (3D printing) manufacturing processes and identify common applications for each in dentistry.
- Trace the evolution of dental CAM materials, from early feldspar-based ceramics to modern high-strength and shade-layered restorative options.
- Explain the workflow and benefits of same-day chairside fabrication, including elimination of provisional restorations and separate cementation visits.
This course is members-only
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