By Sofya Zulkiffli, Anas Hakimee Ahmad Ubaidillah and Ainol Haniza Kherul Anuwar

From same-day crowns to AI-driven scans, a new era of precision and patient-centred care is reshaping how Malaysians experience dentistry.

Imagine you’re snacking on peanuts while watching Netflix one evening when you suddenly feel a sharp crack in your molar. At first, you brush it off, assuming it is nothing serious, but a dull ache later that night tells you otherwise.

At the dental clinic the next morning, the diagnosis is clear. You need a crown. Like most people, you picture multiple appointments, messy impressions and a long wait before your tooth can finally be restored. To your surprise, the dentist smiles and says, “We can do it today. You’ll be done before lunch.”

A slim scanner that has a wand-like appearance glides across your teeth, capturing a precise three-dimensional image. Artificial-intelligence software analyses your bite, maps the tooth contours, and suggests the ideal crown design within minutes. A compact milling unit in the corner begins shaping the ideal crown from a ceramic block, and by the time you finish your Netflix episode, your new crown is ready. There are no messy impressions, no delays and no return visits.

AI and digital tools in dentistry

Scenes like this might sound futuristic, but they are already happening. Around the world, AI and digital tools are quietly changing the way dentists diagnose, design and deliver care.

Machine-learning programmes now help identify cavities and bone loss on digital X-rays. Scanners can automatically trace tooth margins, while design software shows patients how their smiles will look before treatment even begins.

These tools do not replace a dentist’s skill or judgement, they enhance it, freeing clinicians to focus more on the person in the chair than on the paperwork.

In Malaysia, the shift toward digital dentistry is under way but still uneven. Larger private practices in major cities have begun to adopt AI-driven scanners, design systems, and in-house fabrication setups, while smaller and public clinics move more cautiously.

The hesitation is not about willingness to innovate; it is about cost. An intra-oral scanner can range from RM50,000 to RM250,000, and a milling unit may cost another RM150,000 to RM500,000. Add in software licences, maintenance and training, and the figures climb higher. For many clinics, that investment equals the price of a small car sitting in the treatment room or the cost of expanding to another branch.

Self-sustaining model of care

Yet when viewed through a cost-benefit lens, that steep upfront investment represents the entry point to a more efficient, self-sustaining model of care.

Milling crowns in-house removes laboratory fees, reduces remakes and saves valuable chair time. Clinics using full digital workflows often report faster turnaround, fewer appointment backlogs and happier patients, benefits that translate into both higher productivity and higher patient satisfaction.

In purely financial terms, these efficiency gains can offset equipment costs within a few years. In human terms, every hour saved brings another patient closer to treatment.

Beyond business efficiency, the societal benefits are equally compelling.

A rural clinic in Sabah can scan a patient’s mouth and send the file instantly to a specialist in Kuala Lumpur for advice, saving hours of travel and lost income. Public health teams could one day use AI software to screen schoolchildren’s dental images and detect early decay long before pain begins.

These time and cost savings, when multiplied across the public system, represent not just operational gains but genuine social returns.

With digital records stored securely in the cloud, treatment planning can cross state lines in seconds, connecting communities that were once left waiting. Shorter treatment times also mean more patients can be seen each day, easing congestion in public clinics. For families who live far from urban centres or who cannot afford repeated visits, that efficiency translates into real access to care.

Digital dentistry delivers economic, social benefits

Digital dentistry, therefore, delivers both economic and social dividends, reducing costs for providers while improving access and equity for patients.

This vision aligns with Malaysia’s MyDigital Blueprint 2030, which calls for the healthcare sector to embrace smart technology and reflects the government’s commitment to achieving Negara AI status by 2030, as emphasised by the Prime Minister in the recent Budget 2026 address.

For dentistry, it means preparing a new generation of graduates who are confident with digital tools as well as hand instruments. They must learn to interpret scans, understand AI-generated suggestions, and still communicate with patients in a warm, human way. Achieving that will require collaboration among universities, industry, and policymakers to make equipment affordable and training accessible. Shared digital labs, leasing options, and vendor-supported workshops could help more institutions cross the digital threshold.

Ultimately, digital dentistry is not about replacing people with machines. It is about using technology to extend the reach of good care. Every crown designed more precisely, every cavity detected earlier, and every nervous patient reassured by a digital preview of their smile represents progress not only for dentistry but for community health as a whole.

Digital dentistry may demand a substantial initial investment, but the long-term payoffs in reduced costs, increased productivity, and improved access, far outweigh the expense. It is not merely about buying technology, it is about investing in a smarter, more inclusive system of oral care.

As one dentist remarked, “The beauty of AI in dentistry isn’t in the machine, it’s in what it allows us to do for people.”

Digital dentistry is no longer a distant dream or a luxury for high-end clinics. It is already changing how Malaysians experience dental care, one scan at a time.

The real challenge now is to embrace it together and to invest wisely, to train broadly and to share its benefits widely, so that a “one-crown-in-a-day” story becomes an everyday reality. When that happens, technology will have fulfilled its promise: making life better, one smile at a time.

-- BERNAMA

Dr Sofya Zulkiffli and Dr Anas Hakimee Ahmad Ubaidillah are Restorative Specialists at the Restorative Department while Dr Ainol Haniza Kherul Anuwar is Senior Lecturer and Dental Public Health Specialist at the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya. They may be contacted at dr.sofyazul@um.edu.my