Tooth sculptors

Technician Mark Cochrane copies fine indentions of a patient’s tooth surface into wax, one step in the intricate process of making crowns and other prosthetic restorations for military patients of the 72nd Dental Clinic. Eight Dental Clinic Lab technicians and a prosthodontist created over $724,000 in crowns, bridges, implants and mouth guards since last September. Each appliance is hand made, from the initial teeth molds to wax molds, creating metal and ceramic appliances then matching shading and unique characteristics that add to realism. Mr. Cochrane compared the process to sculpting. “When it’s done right, if you can’t even tell it’s artificial, you feel so good about it”, he said. Technology new to the lab now gives quickly-deploying Airman necessary crowns in a fraction of the time. Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing equipment, or CAD/CAM, can create crowns for an Airman the same day when needed, versus traditional techniques that require up to 12 working days. (Air Force photo/Margo Wright)