---
title: "What Is CAD/CAM dentistry? Dental Glossary | Town Center Dental"
description: "CAD/CAM dentistry uses computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing to design and make dental pieces, such as crowns, from a digital scan."
url: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/cad-cam-dentistry
publisher: Town Center Dental
phone: +1-636-273-5866
quote: https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/request-appointment
---

Technology and Imaging

# CAD/CAM dentistry

CAD/CAM dentistry uses computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing to design and make dental pieces, such as crowns, from a digital scan.

CAD stands for computer-aided design and CAM for computer-aided manufacturing. In dentistry, a digital scan of the tooth is turned into a computer design. A machine, such as a milling unit or a 3D printer, then makes the piece.

A systematic review compared the quality and accuracy of CAD/CAM methods with traditional materials. A scoping review found that milling showed superior accuracy for fixed prostheses, while [3D printing](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/3d-printing-in-dentistry) used less material. Both depend on a good scan from an [intraoral scanner](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/intraoral-scanner) or a [digital impression](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/digital-impression).

CAD/CAM may be used for crowns, veneers, and dentures. See the [dental crown](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/services/dental-crown) page for the practice's own description of crowns. This entry does not say which methods the practice uses.

[Town Center Dental can helpDental Crown](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/services/dental-crown)

## Related terms

-   [Digital impression](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/digital-impression)
-   [3D printing in dentistry](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/3d-printing-in-dentistry)
-   [Intraoral scanner](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/intraoral-scanner)
-   [Dental crown](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-crown)
-   [Porcelain](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/glossary/porcelain)

## Sources

1.  [NIH PMC: Contemporary Evidence of CAD-CAM in Dentistry: A Systematic Review](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9767654/)
2.  [NIH PMC: Three-Dimensional Printing and CAD/CAM Milling in Prosthodontics](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12294912/)

## Ready when you are

[Request an appointment](https://towncenterdental.multisites.ai/request-appointment)[Call (636) 273-5866](tel:+1-636-273-5866)