How Israeli technologies are being used in dental practices

Israel is well known as a startup nation, and dental care is one place where new inventions are having real impact. Some technologies speed up treatment, others make it less painful and more precise. 

Many use imaging, AI, 3D printing, lasers, and biomaterials. A recent survey of technology companies in Israel showed more than 120 firms offering dental solutions that use AI, digital imaging, intraoral scanners, tele-dentistry and integration between clinics and labs. These tools aim to reduce chair time and improve patient experience.

One major area is 3D printing. Israeli companies produce dental models, crowns, bridges, implants and dentures using biocompatible materials. 

These allow dentists to skip messy impressions, using intraoral scanners to make digital files which are then printed accurately. This reduces time and often makes fittings more comfortable. 

Another technology is laser dentistry. An Israeli company developed a device called LiteTouch, which uses Erbium:YAG lasers without the bulky fibre optics of older systems. It can shape teeth and gums with less pain and less healing time than drills. Biomaterials and implants are also areas of innovation. 

For example, Magdent makes devices that accelerate bone growth around implants. Their healing abutments with electromagnetic pulses help bone grow more densely, which is especially helpful in patients with weaker bone quality. New regenerative treatments are also being explored. 

One Israeli startup is developing tissue-scaffold implants from natural biomaterials that help gum disease heal by triggering regeneration of tissue from the patient’s own cells.

Invisalign is a global brand for clear aligners, transparent trays that move teeth gradually instead of metal braces. It is used in Israel as elsewhere. More than 9 million people worldwide have used Invisalign invisible braces as of 2021.

In addition to Invisalign, Israeli innovations include alternative orthodontic systems. One example is a system which uses gentle pulsating forces through a custom mouthpiece, often worn during sleep, to move teeth more gently and in some cases with reduced visibility or discomfort. 

Cosmetic dental treatments are also benefiting from Israeli technology. Shade matching, which is the process of finding the correct colour of crowns or veneers, is aided by mobile phone apps that use image processing to detect tooth shade on standard scales used by dental labs. Tools to detect and plan cosmetic work are more precise because of imaging, AI, and more data.

Appointment management is increasingly automated using AI. Some systems can take calls, texts or messages at any time and schedule or reschedule appointments. 

AI appointment booking improves customer experiences and sets reminders to reduce no-shows, with reports suggesting reductions in missed appointments by around 40% when using smart reminder systems. Another use of AI is in diagnostics. For example, AI systems can detect cavities, bone pathology and root shapes from X-rays. 

Studies have shown that dentists using AI support read X-rays about 37% more accurately. There is also technology under development that aims to build a digital twin of a patient from CT scans, facial scans and intraoral imaging, to plan dental implant treatment and implant restorations in a more integrated and precise way. This improves how the prosthetic part of implants are designed and placed.

About 40% of implant procedures suffer from peri-implantitis, which is inflammation around implants that can lead to implant failure. Israeli devices such as those from Magdent aim to reduce that risk with improved healing abutments. Around 12% of dentists worldwide are now reported to use Er:YAG lasers in shaping teeth and gums, and the Israeli LiteTouch product has helped popularise laser use in a less painful way.

For patients the improvements mean less pain, fewer visits and more comfort. Cosmetic treatments become more predictable. Orthodontic treatments like Invisalign or new Israeli systems are more discreet and more comfortable. 

For dental practices the technology can reduce wasted time, improve scheduling, lower no-shows and improve diagnostics so there are fewer errors. Digital files and imaging reduce physical storage space, limit errors from impressions and provide faster turnaround in labs.

Israeli technologies are helping in many parts of dental care, from cosmetic work and orthodontics including Invisalign, to implant surgery, diagnostics, appointment setting, imaging and regenerative treatments. AI is playing a growing role in diagnostics and scheduling. With continuing innovation, dental treatments in Israel and around the world are becoming more efficient, more precise and more comfortable.