COVID-19 Information: Stay up-to-date on government policy, emerging science and patient resources.

Dentists share ‘game changers’ for their practices

Deborah Bishop, D.M.D., has a confession: Sometimes it feels like she’s cheating when performing root canals. Cone-beam computed tomography, or CBCT, and the surgical microscope have so improved her ability to see patients’ canals, she feels almost guilty. “A CBCT scan helps me so much because I know exactly where the canals are located — it's just fabulous,” said Dr. Bishop, an endodontist in Huntsville, Alabama. “I almost feel like I’m cheating because I have it all mapped out in front of me.” Dentists today are doing things in their offices they never dreamed they'd be doing. "I’ve seen the shift from materials that required dozens of time-consuming and technique-sensitive steps to stronger and more esthetic materials that are made with more precision utilizing digital technology," said Justin Chi, D.D.S., director of clinical technologies, Glidewell. Indeed, the last few decades have seen a rapid growth in dental technology and dental materials — making the profession look very different from how it looked when many dentists entered the workforce.

From left are Drs. Abt, BIshop, Niedziela, Keels and Chi.