Technology and implants
Digital workflow
A digital workflow is a treatment process that stays digital from the first scan through design to the finished restoration, with little manual work in between.
In a digital workflow, data moves from step to step without a physical model. A 2026 case paper describes a fully digital workflow that includes intraoral scanning, CAD/CAM design and a 3D-printed indirect restoration.
The usual steps are a scan, a digital design, and then milling or printing. A dentist may do all steps in the office or send some to a lab.
Each tool in the chain must work with the next one. File formats and software links matter. This is one reason owners study digital dentistry plans before they buy. See also CAD/CAM and intraoral scanner.