ANSWERS

What is CAD design for crowns?

CAD design for crowns is the digital process of designing a dental crown using software like exocad or 3Shape Dental System, working from an intraoral scan or scanned impression. A technician builds the crown's anatomy, margins, contacts, and occlusion on screen, then exports a milling file.

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Why it works this way

How CAD design replaces the wax-up

In analog crown work, a technician waxes the crown by hand on a stone model, invests it, and presses or casts the restoration. CAD design replaces that wax-up with a digital build. The technician opens the scan in software (exocad, 3Shape Dental System, and Dental Wings are the three most-used platforms in North American labs per the 2024 Inside Dental Technology lab survey), marks the prep margin, sets the insertion axis, and designs the crown anatomy against the opposing arch and adjacent teeth.

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What CAD software do dental labs use for crown design?

The three platforms with majority market share in North American labs are exocad (Align Technology), 3Shape Dental System, and Dental Wings. exocad and 3Shape together cover the large majority of lab seats per the 2024 Inside Dental Technology survey. Dani Dental runs both exocad and 3Shape in-house, which lets the lab accept scans from any major intraoral scanner (TRIOS, iTero, Medit, Primescan) without conversion loss and assign the case to the technician most experienced with that scanner's output.

How long does CAD design take for a single crown?

A straightforward posterior crown design takes a skilled technician 15-30 minutes of active design time. Anterior crowns with esthetic shade-matching and translucency layering take longer, often 45-60 minutes plus a wax-up review. At Dani Dental, single-unit posterior crowns are typically designed within 24-48 hours of case acceptance; anterior cases route to senior ceramists and may include a design review call with the prescribing dentist before milling.

Can a dentist review the CAD design before the crown is milled?

Yes. Most labs offer a design preview, sent as a screenshot or 3D viewer link, before milling begins. This is standard on anterior cases, complex implant cases, and any case where the dentist has requested approval. Dani Dental sends design previews on request and as a default for anterior and full-arch work, with the assigned technician's direct line on the message so feedback goes straight to the person on the keyboard rather than through a sales rep.

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This answer is one piece of a larger workflow. The pillar page covers materials, turnaround, and how we build the case to your specification.

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