Dental CAD Knowledge Base

Expert Insights for Digital Dentistry

Practical guides, workflow breakdowns, and clinical perspectives from our CAD design team — written for dentists, labs, and specialists worldwide.

All Posts (10) Design Tips (3) Workflow (4) Business (1) Technology (2)

Zirconia vs. PMMA vs. Wax: Material Selection in Remote CAD

Design Tips 8 min read

Zirconia vs. PMMA vs. Wax: Material Selection in Remote CAD

The material you mill determines how we design the restoration. Understanding the mechanical properties and design tolerances of each material helps us deliver files that mill perfectly the first time.

Design Tips 9 min read

Implant Abutment Design: Emergence Profile & Screw Channel Angulation

A custom abutment is only as good as its emergence profile. Discover the clinical parameters that define proper soft-tissue conditioning and screw-channel angulation for long-term success.

How to Read an Intraoral Scan for CAD Design

Design Tips 8 min read

How to Read an Intraoral Scan for CAD Design

Not all scans are created equal. Learn the key quality indicators — margin clarity, opposing arch coverage, and scan body positioning — that make or break a CAD case.

(function() { 'use strict'; if (window.__CHAT_WIDGET_INITIALIZED__) return; window.__CHAT_WIDGET_INITIALIZED__ = true; const widget = $('#chatWidget'); if (!widget) return; const toggle = $('#chatToggle'), panel = $('#chatPanel'), initForm = $('#chatInitForm'), chatMain = $('#chatMain'), chatName = $('#chatName'), chatEmail = $('#chatEmail'), chatInitMsg = $('#chatInitMsg'), chatMessages = $('#chatMessages'), chatForm = $('#chatForm'), chatInput = $('#chatInput'), chatUserLabel = $('#chatUserLabel'), chatReset = $('#chatReset'), closeBtn = $('.chat-close'), minBtn = $('.chat-min'), liveDot = $('.chat-live-dot'); let chatSession = null, isInitialized = false, pollInterval = null; function showInitForm() { panel.classList.remove('is-chatting'); initForm.hidden = false; chatMain.hidden = true; chatInitMsg.textContent = ''; chatName.focus(); } function showChatMain() { panel.classList.add('is-chatting'); initForm.hidden = true; chatMain.hidden = false; liveDot.hidden = false; chatInput.focus(); } function showInitError(message) { chatInitMsg.textContent = message; chatInitMsg.style.color = '#b33'; } function addMessage(text, sender, senderName) { const msg = document.createElement('div'); msg.className = `chat-msg ${sender}`; if (senderName) { const senderEl = document.createElement('div'); senderEl.className = 'msg-sender'; senderEl.textContent = senderName; msg.appendChild(senderEl); } const body = document.createElement('div'); body.className = 'msg-body'; const content = document.createElement('div'); content.className = 'msg-content'; content.textContent = text; body.appendChild(content); const time = document.createElement('div'); time.className = 'msg-time'; time.textContent = new Date().toLocaleTimeString([], { hour: '2-digit', minute: '2-digit' }); body.appendChild(time); msg.appendChild(body); chatMessages.appendChild(msg); chatMessages.scrollTop = chatMessages.scrollHeight; } function startPolling() { if (pollInterval) clearInterval(pollInterval); pollInterval = setInterval(async () => { if (!chatSession) return; try { const response = await fetch((window.APP_BASE_URL || '/') + 'actions/chat_poll.php', { method: 'POST', headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }, body: JSON.stringify({ session_id: chatSession, _csrf: window.CSRF_TOKEN }) }); const result = await response.json(); if (result.success && result.messages) { result.messages.forEach(msg => { addMessage(msg.message, 'support', 'iDentCAD Support'); }); } } catch (error) { console.error('Poll error:', error); } }, 3000); } function endSession() { if (chatSession) { navigator.sendBeacon((window.APP_BASE_URL || '/') + 'actions/chat_end.php', JSON.stringify({ session_id: chatSession, _csrf: window.CSRF_TOKEN })); } if (pollInterval) clearInterval(pollInterval); pollInterval = null; chatSession = null; isInitialized = false; chatMessages.innerHTML = ''; liveDot.hidden = true; showInitForm(); } function saveCustomerInfo(name, email) { try { localStorage.setItem('identcad_chat_customer', JSON.stringify({ name, email })); } catch (e) { console.warn('Could not save customer info.', e); } } function loadCustomerInfo() { try { const storedInfo = localStorage.getItem('identcad_chat_customer'); if (storedInfo) { const customer = JSON.parse(storedInfo); chatName.value = customer.name || ''; chatEmail.value = customer.email || ''; } } catch (e) { console.warn('Could not load customer info.', e); } } on(toggle, 'click', (e) => { e.stopPropagation(); const isOpening = panel.hidden; panel.hidden = !isOpening; toggle.setAttribute('aria-expanded', String(isOpening)); if (isOpening) { const waPanel = $('#whatsappPanel'); if (waPanel) waPanel.hidden = true; loadCustomerInfo(); if (!isInitialized) showInitForm(); } }); on(closeBtn, 'click', () => { panel.hidden = true; toggle.setAttribute('aria-expanded', 'false'); }); on(minBtn, 'click', () => { panel.hidden = true; toggle.setAttribute('aria-expanded', 'false'); }); on(initForm, 'submit', async (e) => { e.preventDefault(); const name = chatName.value.trim(), email = chatEmail.value.trim(); if (!name) { showInitError('Please enter your name'); return; } if (!email || !/^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(email)) { showInitError('Please enter a valid email'); return; } const submitBtn = initForm.querySelector('button'); submitBtn.disabled = true; submitBtn.textContent = 'Starting...'; chatInitMsg.textContent = 'Connecting...'; chatInitMsg.style.color = '#555'; try { saveCustomerInfo(name, email); const response = await fetch((window.APP_BASE_URL || '/') + 'actions/chat_start.php', { method: 'POST', headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }, body: JSON.stringify({ name, email, _csrf: window.CSRF_TOKEN }) }); const result = await response.json(); if (result.success) { chatSession = result.session_id; isInitialized = true; chatUserLabel.textContent = `${name}`; showChatMain(); addMessage('Welcome! How can we help you today?', 'support', 'iDentCAD Support'); startPolling(); } else { throw new Error(result.error || 'Failed to start chat'); } } catch (error) { console.error('Chat init error:', error); showInitError(error.message || 'Connection failed.'); } finally { submitBtn.disabled = false; submitBtn.textContent = 'Start Chat'; } }); on(chatForm, 'submit', async (e) => { e.preventDefault(); const message = chatInput.value.trim(); if (!message || !chatSession) return; addMessage(message, 'user', chatName.value); chatInput.value = ''; try { await fetch((window.APP_BASE_URL || '/') + 'actions/chat_send.php', { method: 'POST', headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }, body: JSON.stringify({ session_id: chatSession, message, _csrf: window.CSRF_TOKEN }) }); } catch (error) { console.error('Send message error:', error); addMessage('Failed to send message.', 'system-error'); } }); on(chatReset, 'click', () => { if (confirm('Are you sure you want to end this chat session?')) endSession(); }); })();