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Top 5 (plus 1) Test Drives of 2022
Chief Dental Editor and Technology Editor John Flucke, DDS, reviews his favorite dental product test drives of 2022, and shares what he is looking forward to in 2023.
Wrapping Up
2022 has been an amazing year for new products. This year was one of my more difficult Top 5 Test Drives to write, simply because there were so many new products I was really impressed with. I think one of the best things about our profession is the almost constant pace of innovation. I think we are approaching an incredible “next phase” of our profession.
I think this next phase will build upon the constant growth of 3D in the profession. We can already merge digital impressions into CBCT data sets, and this will lead to a constantly updated 3D patient record. That will combine with the almost unfathomable abilities of AI platforms to create, not only being able to “hold a patient’s head in the palm of your hand” but to also be better informed with objective third-party data on potential pathologies. Imagine a patient with a large edentulous space. You are virtually treatment planning 2 implants and being told “occlusal forces are calculated to be X on 2 implants and Y on 3 implants,” which will allow you to treatment plan with a more favorable clinical outcome.
That scenario is much closer to reality than you might think. Buckle up. The ride is going to get much more exciting.
