From chairside to checkup — How AI is revolutionizing dental health

As with most services and industries, AI is helping to transform dental workflows through support, insight, and productivity.

For example, one of 3Shape’s latest solutions, Dx Plus software which uses AI, we believe can help to revolutionize patient-checkups.

AI in the Dx Plus software assists dental professionals in detecting four oral health conditions on intraoral scans, surface caries, tooth wear, gingival recession, and plaque. The results from these digital diagnostic exams can then be viewed on a screen and shared with a patient’s mobile phone.

In this case, AI is providing us with a second set of eyes to identify and/or confirm issues the professional may have first diagnosed during the patient’s conventional checkup.

In addition, Dx Plus also allows the professional to track changes to these conditions over time by manually comparing periodic IO scans. And importantly, because both the patient and professional view the results on a screen and or the patient’s mobile phone, it helps to create very transparent and visually supported treatment discussions.

We use AI in most of our software. For dental labs, 3Shape recently employed AI to solve a daily challenge for them, faulty bite scans. Using AI, our Dental System lab software now aligns imperfect upper and lower jaw scans to suggest a reliable bite setup. This is a huge time-saver for labs.

Moreover, our Model Builder Express software uses AI to create printable models for labs in seconds. And our Implant Studio software uses it for both implant planning and creating surgical guides – more time-saving steps that can help boost productivity.

Our most popular solution that uses AI, however, is 3Shape Automate - an AI powered crown design service. Automate enables labs and in-house laboratories to simply upload their intraoral scans online to the Automate service. It then sends back a design for a crown, coping, or even nightguard in as little as 90 seconds.

There are no humans involved – just AI and the professional who sent the scan. Since its launch, Automate has produced over four million designs with a 94% design acceptance rate.

AI can make treatments faster. For example, 3Shape Automate can return unlimited crown designs in as little as 90 seconds, speeding up for example, a same day crown or lab workflows. AI can also support diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning to contribute to better care.

In this case, AI means a lab could outsource the design for its simple cases to, for example, Automate, and instead, concentrate on bigger or more complicated cases. Or if a colleague is sick or too much work comes in, AI can certainly help. It helps you scale your operations.

Studies show that digital workflows boost efficiency. One study found digital single-unit restoration*Joda, T., & Brägger, U. (2015). Digital vs. conventional implant prosthetic workflows: a cost/time analysis. Clinical Oral Implants Research, 26(12), 1430-1435. workflows to be 38.4% faster than conventional ones. If a dentist used CAD/CAM software and has an in-house lab, a patient can get a crown in two hours. With traditional methods, it could take five days. That’s a big time-savings and a practice building technology.

AI analyzes patient scans and data to help us design custom restorations and treatment plans. Its algorithms, trained by thousands of cases, tailors each crown design and surgical guide to match a patient’s anatomy.

But in terms of really personalizing care, AI, like in our Dx Plus software, gives dentists a reason to spend more time with their patients.

In 3Shape’s case, with the Dx Plus diagnostic software we also introduced a patient mobile app, DentalHealth, that enables patients to take their scans, including diagnostic information, home with them on the phone.

The idea is that we are adding another level of transparency to the patient-dentist relationship – we are empowering both the professional and the patient. Aside from its diagnostic benefits, it’s a conversation starter. And it’s all made possible by AI.

One key challenge is the “opaque” nature of deep learning—how AI arrives at its decisions can be difficult to interpret. However, we address this by focusing on measurable outcomes, such as high acceptance rates and efficiency.

3Shape customers are people, and in no way should AI ever be considered a substitute for their expertise. AI, at least in 3Shape solutions, is there to support professionals in their work.

The future of dentistry is increasingly digital and hence, AI-driven. As AI continues to evolve, it will further streamline diagnostics, treatment planning, and patient management. Our new Dx Plus software is a perfect example.

By providing diagnostic clarity and educational support, the software enables professionals to share personalized care guidance directly with their patients on their smartphones. Dx Plus is helping dental professionals transform patients from passive to active participants in their oral health journey.

AI will become standard in every aspect of dental care - from design and diagnostics to patient interaction and marketing.