CAD stands for Computer Aided Design, whereas CAM stands for Computer Aided Manufacture. CAD is used for displaying and editing designs on the computer. Calculations can often be made. CAM uses a computer to control a manufacturing process.software that make it possible for dentists to perform complex procedures faster, more easily and more accurately, says the JPR. CAD/CAM technology constructs restorations, like crowns, veneers, inlays, onlays and bridges, from a single block of ceramics, which makes the final product more precise compared to traditional fabrication methods.

The Following list represents the majority of the areas of digital dentistry:

· CAD/CAM and intraoral imaging — both laboratory- and clinician-controlled

· Caries diagnosis

· Computer-aided implant dentistry — including design and fabrication of surgical guides

· Digital radiography — intraoral and extraoral, including cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)

· Electric and surgical/implant handpieces

· Lasers

· Occlusion and TMJ analysis and diagnosis

· Photography — extraoral and intraoral

· Practice and patient record management — including digital patient education

· Shade matching