How can Artificial intelligence or AI help you, your oral health, and your dentist in the future?
You might have heard many stories in the news lately about how AI is being used everywhere (for good and bad). While you may have a mixed bag of feelings about that and questions concerning how this will affect you and your dentist now, don’t worry about a robot replacing your dentist.
How does AI help your dentist now?
Let’s say you suddenly cracked a tooth chewing on those ice burgs in your sweet tea. It hurts like crazy and you call your dentist for an emergency appointment. They get you in the next day and make a 3D scan of your tooth, which only takes a few minutes. The digital file of your cracked tooth is put into a 3D printer and a replica of your tooth is made. Then a computer-aided milling machine creates a new porcelain crown. A few hours later, with the help of your dentist and staff, you’re good to go with a new crown over your cracked tooth.
This might sound like something out of a futuristic movie but it is a reality already in many dental offices that have the latest in AI-aided technology. Without the help of these new machines, fixing a cracked tooth with a crown would’ve taken a few weeks or more from the first appointment to the last.
More ways AI can potentially help you and your dentist.
In the last few years, high-tech advances including artificial intelligence, augmented reality, lasers, digital scanners, and printers, have made even the most involved dental problems a much quicker and easier experience for dentist and their patients.
Here are some possible ways AI can help you and your dentist now and in the future:
- Artificial intelligence can detect dental diseases earlier: it can be used to develop ways to study your oral X-rays to detect early signs of dental diseases such as oral cancer, cavities, gum disease, hairline cracks in your teeth, and more. This could help your dentist find and treat dental issues before they become more serious.
- Orthodontic treatments: artificial intelligence-aided 3D scanners create a precise 3D model of your teeth. In many cases, your orthodontic treatment plan for straighter teeth is very straightforward with these new scans.
- Educate Patients: artificial intelligence can create teaching materials for you and interactive tools that can help you understand your oral health and make good choices about your dental treatment options.
- Smart toothbrushes: Through the use of apps linked to your smart toothbrush, this innovation offers many advantages for keeping your teeth in good shape. These toothbrushes are equipped with “smart” technology and monitor your brushing, give you personal help by telling you how long to brush, if you’re brushing too hard, make brushing fun, and more.
- Robotic support: future artificial intelligence may be used to develop robotic dental assistance to help a dentist with greater efficiency and precision during complicated surgical procedures similar to how it is already being used in the medical field.
- Predictive investigations: artificial intelligence may be used to develop data models that can help your dentist predict your dental needs and understand possible dental issues before they happen. This could lead to earlier prevention of dental problems and better long-term dental health for you.
- Treatment plans just for you: In the future, artificial intelligence may be used to look over large amounts of patient information, including your dental records, medical history, and more. This could lead to personalized treatment plans just for you.
These last two possibilities require artificial intelligence to collect and share huge amounts of data which creates concern about patient privacy. So these ideas are off in the future for now.
Will my dentist be replaced by AI?
Artificial intelligence does not have the human qualities that foster trust and rapport with people the way a good dentist and their staff do. Also, artificial intelligence does not have emotional intelligence, compassion, or empathy. Even if we get to the day when robotic machines do some dental surgeries, they will still need to be guided by a highly skilled dentist. Therefore, your dentist will not be replaced by artificial intelligence in the future. AI in dentistry is an aid to help your dentist help you stay healthier.
If you know someone with a dental issue and they want a second opinion, we can do that for them for free.