CAD” stands for computer-assisted design, and “CAM” for computer-assisted manufacture. They can mean fewer dental visits for procedures like crowns and bridges.
Usually when a patient needs a crown, a dentist makes a mold of the tooth and a temporary crown, then waits for a lab to make a permanent one. With CAD/CAM technology, the tooth is drilled to prepare it for the crown, and a picture is taken with a computer. This image is relayed to a machine that makes the crown in the office.