Same-Day Dentistry vs. Interdisciplinary Planning: Two Approaches, One Goal

I recently had the pleasure of joining Dr. Luken de Arbeloa on the Quarterback Dentist podcast, and it turned into one of those conversations I didn't want to end.

Luken is a prosthodontist based in Madrid with a serious depth of knowledge in interdisciplinary dentistry and the DSD workflow. I represent a different corner of the digital world, same-day, in-house production. And what we discovered pretty quickly is that these two approaches aren't competing. They're complementary.

Here's what we covered.

What Does Digital Actually Mean in Daily Practice?

This is a question I get a lot, and I think it's worth addressing directly.

Digital dentistry isn't some niche, high-tech category reserved for specialists. It is simply the way we do dentistry now.

For me, the foundation is an intraoral scanner. I use one every single day, for same-day crowns, orthodontics, implantology, you name it. The scanner is not a luxury item anymore. It's a basic clinical tool and the standard of care.

In our practices here in NZ, we run 43 chairs across a family operation. My father, my brother, and my mother are all dentists. We do everything from routine check-ups to implant placements, smile designs, and full-arch rehabilitations. So when I say digital dentistry impacts every part of dentistry, I mean it literally.

The most common bread and butter thing? Same-day crowns.

I can prep, scan, design, mill, and cement an e.max restoration in about an hour to an hour and a half. When you get to that point, the whole thing becomes a well-oiled machine. It stops being stressful. It actually becomes fun.

Same-Day Dentistry - Why Speed Matters

There's a saying I love: the only thing better than free, is fast.

Think about it. We pay for Amazon Prime so our packages arrive sooner. We upgrade flights to get there faster. Speed has real value in people's lives, and dentistry is no different.

Same-day dentistry completely changes the patient experience. No temporaries. No second appointments. No worrying about impressions getting lost or the lab work coming back wrong. No sensitivity from a poorly fitted temp. You prep it, design it, mill it, cement it, take the X-ray, and it's done.

There's also a psychological benefit that I think gets completely overlooked. Finishing a case on the same day feels good for the patient and for me. That sense of completion, of closure. It matters more than people give it credit for.

I came across a survey by Ivoclar where they asked thousands of patients whether they would switch dentists if they could have their restoration in a single visit. Something like 66% said yes.

That number should make every dentist sit up.

The Interdisciplinary Approach - Seeing the Whole Picture

Luken put it in this way. The interdisciplinary approach is about considering the whole patient, not just the tooth in front of you.

Maybe the cracked tooth isn't just a cracked tooth. Maybe it's related to an occlusal issue. Maybe there's something going on with the airway. Maybe ortho needs to come first. The interdisciplinary framework forces you to see all of that, document it, and present it to the patient as a complete picture.

One of the things I find genuinely compelling about the DSD workflow is that it creates a standardized protocol that doesn't entirely depend on the clinician being present for every decision. The records are gathered, the case is analyzed, and treatment can be coordinated across a team, your lab, your specialists, your colleagues, even remotely.

That's a big deal.

But I'll be honest with you. It's also genuinely difficult. This approach requires years of education. It requires a well-trained team, a good lab relationship, and strong coordination across everyone involved. If any link in that chain is weak, the outcome can be worse than if you had just done the simpler thing from the start.

The Barrier No One Talks About Enough - Communication

Here's where things get interesting, and where Luken and I were in complete agreement.

The biggest limiting factor in delivering high-level dentistry, whether same-day or interdisciplinary, is not the scanner. It's not the software. It's not even the money.

It's communication.

If you can't present a treatment plan in a way the patient actually understands, they won't accept it. Simple as that. Luken made a point that stuck with me: patients often decline treatment not because it's too expensive, but because they genuinely don't understand what you're telling them.

We speak in clinical language. We talk about lithium disilicate veneers and titanium abutments at 30-degree angles, and the patient nods along politely with absolutely no idea what's happening.

I think about our role as dentists this way: we identify problems and deepen concern. If a doctor tells you there's a tumor in your lung, you don't walk out and forget about it. You act. That's what clinical communication does. It helps patients understand the real stakes of what's happening in their mouth, so they can make informed decisions.

A communication course, genuinely, is probably the most impactful training I've ever done. More than any clinical course. I wouldn't have said that early in my career, but I believe it now.

The Two Biggest Barriers to Implementing Same-Day Dentistry

When Luken asked me to give dentists the honest answer on what's stopping them, I said: money and mindset.

Financial barrier: Getting into CAD/CAM has historically been expensive. A milling machine costs between $30,000 and $40,000. A full CEREC setup is around $120,000. That's a serious investment, and I understand why it puts people off.

But here's the good news. The 3D printing revolution has fundamentally changed this. You can get a capable printer for $5,000, $6,000, or $10,000. The financial barrier has dropped significantly. There are now more affordable milling options, too. Luken mentioned the VHF E4 coming in around $16,000 to $20,000, which is a very different conversation from where prices were even a few years ago.

Mindset barrier: This one is trickier. Luken used a phrase I love: "Burn the boats.” Commit. Understand the value, decide it's the direction you're going, and then prioritize your investment accordingly. Dentists already invest in staff, marketing, equipment, and facility. Same-day dentistry is simply a matter of where you put those resources.

The AI Factor

I'd be leaving out something important if I didn't mention AI, because I think it's genuinely the biggest innovation in same-day dentistry right now.

CEREC has had excellent AI built into its CAD software for a long time, and I think it's underappreciated. If you prep a tooth well, CEREC's AI will design a crown that's 90% there before you even touch anything. That is remarkable when you think about it.

Beyond CEREC, there are tools like 3Shape Automate, Dentbird and Circle One that are closing the gap between scanning and manufacturing. If ChatGPT can pass a law exam at the university level, it can certainly design a single crown.

The catch? AI is only as good as your preparation. If the prep is poor, the output will be poor. The fundamentals still matter. AI amplifies good prep work; it doesn't rescue bad prep work.

Digital Dentistry Is a Team Sport

This is where Luken and I landed, and I think it's the right note to close on.

Whether you're doing same-day crowns or full interdisciplinary rehabilitations, you cannot do this alone. The dentist is not Superman. The team is everything.

In our practice, when I do a same-day crown, I prep and scan. That might take 30 minutes, and then I hand off. My team handles the rest. I go and see other patients. That handoff is only possible because the team is well-trained and each person knows their role.

The same applies to 3D printing, guide fabrication, and full-arch cases. If all the pressure sits on you as the clinician, digital dentistry will burn you out. But if you build a team that genuinely understands the workflow, the whole thing compounds.

Invest in your team. Invest in training. Invest in communication.

The equipment is just the starting point.

Want to go deeper on digital workflows? Check out our courses at the Institute of Digital Dentistry.