"From Scan to Smile: The Dental Assistant's Role in Digital Whitening Tray Fabrication" explores how digital dentistry is expanding the responsibilities of Dental Assistants through the use of intraoral scanning, cloud-based design software, and chairside 3D printing with the DMG DentaMile® workflow.
Shannon Pace, CDA explains the complete digital workflow for fabricating custom whitening trays:
- Digital patient documentation and scanning creating accurate STL files for appliance design while improving patient comfort and efficiency.
- Digital tray design in DentaMile® connect allows assistants to participate in designing tray margins, treatment zones, and whitening reservoirs, providing greater precision and consistency than conventional manual techniques.
- Chairside 3D printing and post-processing enable practices to manufacture whitening trays in-house, with assistants managing printing, washing, curing, quality control, and final inspection.
- Patient delivery and education remain critical responsibilities, as assistants instruct patients on tray use, whitening protocols, sensitivity management, and maintenance to support successful treatment outcomes.
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