Top 5 (plus 1) Test Drives of 2022

Wrapping Up

2022 has been an amazing year for new products. This year was one of my more difficult Top 5 Test Drives to write, simply because there were so many new products I was really impressed with. I think one of the best things about our profession is the almost constant pace of innovation. I think we are approaching an incredible “next phase” of our profession.

I think this next phase will build upon the constant growth of 3D in the profession. We can already merge digital impressions into CBCT data sets, and this will lead to a constantly updated 3D patient record. That will combine with the almost unfathomable abilities of AI platforms to create, not only being able to “hold a patient’s head in the palm of your hand” but to also be better informed with objective third-party data on potential pathologies. Imagine a patient with a large edentulous space. You are virtually treatment planning 2 implants and being told “occlusal forces are calculated to be X on 2 implants and Y on 3 implants,” which will allow you to treatment plan with a more favorable clinical outcome.

That scenario is much closer to reality than you might think. Buckle up. The ride is going to get much more exciting.