In this digital age, everyone is talking about AI and how it’s making changes in different industries, especially after the emergence of ChatGPT. People are starting to get worried about their occupation and, hence, their future. 

Since AI has been taking bold steps in the medical field, including dentistry, it’s only logical to ask an important question: Will AI ever replace us as dentists? 

We’ll go through this in today’s article, but for now, fret not, as our AI-assisted reporting software will never replace you. It’ll only make your work easier.

Will AI Replace Dental Practitioners? 

The quick answer is no; the artificial technology used nowadays in the dental field won’t be able to replace you as a dentist. However, as previously mentioned, AI has been moving forward in dentistry, so many tools and solutions have been proposed in the last few years.

But can these tools work without “human” intelligence? In our opinion, the answer is “no.” AI can support the dental process, but it can never do it alone, at least in the current period. It’ll always need you, the human, to watch over it, the tool. 

So, indeed, using AI tools is a guarantee of progress in dentistry, but they won’t work “solo.”

How Can AI Support Dentists?

AI can streamline numerous things in the dental world, from diagnosis to reporting and treatment planning. Here are some ways AI can help in your everyday work:

Diagnosis

When we look at AI applications in dentistry, diagnosis is the most popular one. Some of its use cases are analyzing dental X-rays, classifying periodontal diseases, identifying malocclusions, locating root canal systems, diagnosing tumors, and identifying carious lesions.

Using AI-assisted software in diagnosis helps newly graduated dentists and practitioners who work with a massive number of cases daily. In these situations, an AI tool would come in handy as a decision support system, reducing errors and saving time.

Reporting and Documentation

With everything going digital, reporting and documentation have also been digitalized. Back then, paperwork consumed a lot of time, which is why electronic health records emerged. Still, the accuracy depended on practitioners’ consistency and focus, which may lead to a high probability of incomplete documentation.

However, with the use of AI, reporting and documentation could be automated, eliminating the necessity of totally relying on human consistency and focus — decreasing errors that may arise due to these two factors. 

This is just an example of how humans and AI can work hand-in-hand; AI does the hard work, and we double-check that its outcome is right.

Treatment Planning

One of the most crucial factors for the success of any treatment is to plan it in the best possible way tailored for each patient. AI plays an important role here as well, reducing the time needed for treatment planning and enhancing the quality of the plan itself.

For instance, orthodontic companies have leveraged AI to create more customized treatment plans. It analyzes patient data and creates 3D models of the patient’s mouth, which helps dentists predict tooth movement.

Dentists and AI: Who Has the Upper Hand?

Did you know that a robot in China has done an actual implant surgery independently, without any help from dental practitioners? Trained professionals indeed planned the whole procedure, but a “robot” still inserted two implants on its own.

Does this mean AI has the upper hand, and our field will be replaced by it? We don’t think so, at least in the foreseeable future. 

For starters, AI (or robots) will always need the help of humans, not only for training them and planning their mode of work but also because AI is missing a critical element of “life” – empathy.

In fact, this AI shortcoming will always give us the upper hand, as being empathetic or knowing how to put ourselves in someone else's shoes is a trait that’s hard to train. It’s hard but not impossible, though.

Still, AI can greatly reduce human error, time consumed, and overall efforts put into a task; it can ensure the quality is “controlled.” Hence, the future of dentistry will continue to be shaped by this technology.

What You Should Do as a Dentist

Since the world is changing, we, as dental professionals, must keep up with these progressions. But how? By learning how to use AI. So when the time comes, and AI starts to replace roles, especially ones related to paperwork and documentation, we'll be ready to stay on top, using AI to our advantage.

Look for training, courses, and opportunities, and if you’re an undergraduate, try to familiarize yourself with the impact of AI on the dental world. If you see how AI has affected different industries, it’s only logical to expect AI power to revolutionize the dental industry at a grander scale in the future.

Wrapping Up

In the meantime, don’t worry; it’s not like AI in dentistry will do like Ava in Ex Machina. This technology won’t replace dentists, for now. But who knows what might happen in the future? 

The best practice is to familiarize yourself with AI tools and use them to your benefit, making your work easier, faster, and more efficient.

If you’re ready to use AI technology, check out our Intelligent Reports software. When using our tool, the upper hand is always yours!