The daily Grind
Using new dental technology, a camera scans a casting or mold and sends an extremely high resolution three-dimensional image to the modeling computer. The item needed is then created in a virtual environment and either transmitted to the Area Dental Lab, or created in-house on a precision milling machine. The $64,000 computerized milling system shortens the processing time to create crowns and bridges from six weeks to a couple of hours. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)