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dentistry was the way of the future but felt that the wider industry remained unconvinced of the technology. This led Dr Amornvit to pursue a PhD in oral science from 2017-2020 at the Prince of Songkla University where he sought to contribute to the growing corpus of scientific literature that cemented the advantages of the technology. “I believed that intraoral scanning was the digital key to open the digital world of the dentistry. At that time, people still preferred polyvinyl siloxane impressions over intraoral scans as they believed it was not accurate enough. During my PhD, I needed to establish the scientific data that proved that the technology can be very accurate,” he said. Today, Dr Amornvit is actively involved in teaching and training dental professionals in the use of digital technology to enhance the quality of dental care and patient experience. DIGITAL CHEMISTRY While Dr Amornvit recognises the significant strides digital dentistry has made, he believes that exposure and practice with its tools and workflows at the undergraduate level is insufficient. This leaves continuing education providers like himself to shoulder the responsibility of training professionals in the field for the benefit of the wider dental community in the region.
a goal of educating dentist in South East Asia about digital dentistry, where emphasis is placed on the understanding of both software and hardware to maximise the benefits of the technology. Moreover, Dr Amornvit advocates for a multidisciplinary approach in his workflow. This encompasses restorative, implant, and orthodontic techniques, where he progresses from scanning to CAD/CAM design, to surgical guides, and restorative works including full-mouth rehabilitation. His software of choice is exocad having been a user of the CAD/CAM software for over 10 years. “Despite not having spoken for exocad before, I feel that we share the same chemistry regarding the importance of face scans and multidisciplinary worflows. To provide the best outcome for the patient, multidisciplinary techniques are important as no single discipline can do the job. I think that this vision is the new trend that will change the world of the dentistry again,” he said. “Until recently, we needed to use different platforms for different steps in scanning and CAD/CAM design. I feel that exocad is constantly developing new features to improve the workflow of the dentist,” he added. Dr Amornvit’s digital workflow is based on a philosophy of digital facial-driven design and digital smile design which emphasises
the importance of facial profile, proportions, harmony and aesthetic oral rehabilitation, using digital smile design to create an aesthetically pleasing face. To realise this philosophy, articulator systems are a key feature in CAD/CAM software that Dr Amornvit prioritises. He shared a case example, where utilising facial-driven design, his goal was to align the teeth with the features of the patient’s face. After aligning the patient’s worn teeth using Invisalign, he imported the CBCT scan of the jaw motion which allowed him to control the occlusion of the patient with precision. Moreover, the benefits of articulator systems are extended into the manufacturing process where dental technicians are also provided with a clear understanding of the patient’s occlusion. Coupled with the low supply of technicians in Thailand, this feature is especially important in saving costs and treatment time by reducing misprints. “This is the problem South East Asia is facing. In Thailand, we have 19 dental schools but only one dental technician school. The number of dental technicians is low and the ratio of technicians to dentists is not enough,” he said. Against this background, Dr Amornvit believes it is important for dentists to collaborate and train dental technicians to understand a patient’s needs, not only in terms of restorations but occlusions and aesthetics as well.
Based in Bangkok, Thailand, Dr Amornvit runs PPFACEDESIGN, a training centre with
For Dr Amornvit, virtual articulator systems are a key component in CAD/CAM software to tackle complex multi-disciplinary prosthetic rehabilitation cases
43 DENTAL ASIA SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2024
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