Written by: Ryan Dunlop, CEO and Founder of Full Arch Masters and graduate from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Key Takeaways
- The FAM Method is a seven-step, fully digital workflow that delivers same-day full-arch restorations in 2–4 hours using photogrammetry, CBCT planning, and exocad design.
- Accurate implant-position capture via photogrammetry eliminates stitching errors common with intraoral scanners, supporting passive fit of final zirconia restorations.
- Team delegation is essential: surgical assistants, lab technicians, and treatment coordinators each own specific workflow steps so the dentist can focus on surgery and final delivery.
- Scaling beyond two arches per month requires documented handoff protocols, parallel lab fabrication, and a structured closing system that converts consultations at an 80% rate.
- Full Arch Masters provides the complete training, alumni community, and KOL buying group needed to implement this workflow, so register for an upcoming course to bring the FAM Method into your practice.
Step 1: Preoperative Records and Data Acquisition
The workflow starts before the patient enters the surgical suite, and these records form the digital foundation for every later step. Required inputs include a full-arch intraoral scan, extraoral photography, a facial scan capturing rest, smile, and full-retraction positions, and a CBCT of the patient in the planned prosthetic position.
Because these records are standardized and repeatable, the surgical assistant or lead assistant can own acquisition at this stage, which frees the dentist for case review. Accurate implant planning requires seeing the complete clinical picture before surgery begins. Once captured, merging facial scan data with CBCT and intraoral scan files into a single planning environment, what some clinicians describe as a virtual patient avatar, enables prosthetically driven implant planning before a single incision is made. Combining intraoral scan STL files with CBCT DICOM data in planning software is the accepted standard for designing accurate surgical guides in full-arch reconstruction.
Errors introduced at this stage propagate downstream, so standardized scanning strategies and scan-body selection matter. Scan body material selection can influence accuracy during intraoral scanning of edentulous arches because different materials have different optical properties. Once all records are captured and verified for quality, the workflow advances to planning.
Handoff: complete digital record set, DICOM, STL, and facial scan files, transferred to the planning team for Step 3.
Step 2: Photogrammetry and Intraoral Scanning
Photogrammetry serves as the accuracy cornerstone of the FAM Method for implant position capture. Intraoral scanners can accumulate stitching errors across long edentulous spans, while photogrammetry captures implant positions via vector triangulation without wand movement artifacts.
Published evidence supports this clinical choice. Systematic reviews indicate that photogrammetry can provide better trueness and precision than intraoral scanners for complete-arch implant recordings in some cases, with studies reporting favorable trueness values that can outperform splinted conventional impressions and intraoral scanning for 3D trueness in edentulous arches. These findings translate to clinically acceptable deviation thresholds in practice, as stereophotogrammetric-based dental scanners consistently achieve the accuracy needed for passive-fit full-arch restorations.
Because photogrammetry captures only implant positions, the workflow pairs it with an intraoral scan to record soft tissue morphology. The surgical assistant performs both captures immediately after implant placement, following a defined sequence that keeps chair time predictable.
Handoff: merged photogrammetry and intraoral scan dataset delivered to the lab team for exocad design.
Step 3: CBCT and Digital Treatment Planning
CBCT data drives prosthetically guided implant planning in the FAM Method. The planning team merges DICOM files from the CBCT with STL files from the intraoral scan to evaluate bone volume, implant distribution, restorative space, multi-unit abutment angles, and fixation pin location. Fully guided static implant surgery is more accurate than partially guided surgery, and both are more accurate than freehand placement.
This merged dataset supports fully guided static implant surgery and consistent guide-based workflows. The dual-CBCT-scan protocol using DICOM data is the standard approach for guide-based workflows in edentulous arches, and the FAM Method follows this protocol.
Once planning is complete, the dentist reviews and approves the virtual plan before guide fabrication. Surgical guide design and 3D-printed model fabrication complete this step.
Handoff: approved plan and printed guide to the surgical team, and design files to the lab for immediate-load prosthetic preparation.
Step 4: exocad Design for Immediate and Final Restorations
Digital design in exocad connects the planning data to both the provisional and final restorations. With implant positions confirmed via photogrammetry and the surgical plan approved, the lab technician builds the prosthetic design in exocad.
Full Arch Masters is a certified exocad reseller for DentalCAD, exoplan, and ChairsideCAD, and all digital design instruction in the FAM curriculum uses exocad. The design sequence incorporates the merged photogrammetry and intraoral scan dataset, the digital wax-up from preoperative planning, and the approved smile design.
The lab technician designs both the immediate-load provisional and the final zirconia framework within the same software environment, which maintains dimensional consistency across both restorations. Stakeholders at this step are the lab technician and the dentist, and the dentist reviews and approves the design before any milling or printing begins.
Handoff: approved STL files for immediate-load printing and final zirconia milling.
Step 5: Immediate-Load Conversion on the Day of Surgery
The immediate-load conversion step makes same-day delivery possible for full-arch cases. Using the approved exocad design, the lab team 3D-prints the provisional restoration, typically in PMMA, on an Envisiontec or DentaFab printer.
The printed provisional is verified against the surgical model, adjusted for passive fit, and prepared for seating on the day of surgery. This same-day delivery approach is supported by recent clinical evidence. A 2026 clinical case report by Dr. Jan Spieckermann describes intraoral photogrammetry performed immediately post-surgery eliminating the need for conventional impressions or splinting, enabling laboratory fabrication and seating of a milled long-term provisional restoration on the afternoon of surgery.
The FAM Method applies the same principle at scale. Photogrammetry-captured implant positions feed directly into the immediate-load design, which compresses what was historically a multi-day process into a single surgical appointment. The surgical assistant coordinates the handoff between the operatory and the in-house lab during this step, a delegation function that requires explicit training to execute without burning chair time.
Handoff: seated and verified immediate-load provisional, with the photogrammetry dataset archived for final restoration fabrication.
Step 6: Final Zirconia Design and Finishing
The final zirconia restoration builds on the same accurate digital records used for the provisional. After osseointegration, the final zirconia restoration is designed and finished using the archived photogrammetry dataset and any updated intraoral scans captured at the verification appointment.
The lab technician mills the zirconia framework, performs green-stage contouring, and applies MIYO ceramic layering for aesthetic characterization. Material selection at this stage, zirconia versus PMMA, PEEK, or metallic frameworks, depends on case-specific factors including occlusal load, esthetic requirements, and patient anatomy.
Studies compare subtractive manufacturing of titanium and zirconia full-arch frameworks with additive manufacturing regarding marginal gaps, and various approaches aim to improve accuracy at the implant-framework interface. Physical verification of passive fit before final delivery is a mandatory checkpoint in the FAM Method.
Even when standard clinical verification tests are used, digitally fabricated full-arch frameworks may be flagged as non-passive, so physical verification before final manufacturing remains a non-negotiable quality control step.
Handoff: verified, finished zirconia restoration delivered to the dentist for final seating.
Step 7: FP1 Design, Team Implementation, and Workflow Scaling
FP1 prosthetics, where the restoration replaces teeth and a portion of the gingival architecture, require a distinct approach from FP2 and FP3. FP1 cases differ in case selection, root banking, surgical approach, and lab design, so the FAM Method treats FP1 as a separate workflow track.
Lab technicians receive FP1-specific digital design instruction separate from the standard FP2 and FP3 sequence in exocad. Workflow scaling at this step means operationalizing the full seven-step sequence as a repeatable team system rather than a one-off project.
Effective digital workflow implementation requires whole-team onboarding and staged skills progression rather than one-time doctor-only instruction, because digital workflows fail when only one person understands the process. Practices that scale from one or two arches per month to higher volumes rely on documented handoff protocols, standardized file naming and submission conventions, and clear role ownership at every step, not just clinical competency.
Bring your entire team to a Full Arch Masters course and implement the FAM Method together.
Team Delegation and Room Setup for Predictable Surgery Days
The FAM Method functions as a team system rather than a dentist-only workflow. A dentist who returns from training without a trained assistant, lab technician, and treatment coordinator cannot operationalize the workflow at volume.
Delegation acts as the mechanism that allows a practice to run more than two arches per month without burning the dentist’s chair time on non-billable tasks. Role ownership in the FAM Method is explicit:
- The surgical assistant owns preoperative records acquisition, photogrammetry capture, and intraoperative support, which are tasks that do not require the dentist’s hands.
- The lab technician owns exocad design, immediate-load printing, and final zirconia finishing, which are tasks that run in parallel with the surgical day rather than sequentially after it.
- The treatment coordinator owns the consultation pipeline, case presentation, financing conversations, and follow-up, which are tasks that determine whether a consult converts to a scheduled case.
- The dentist owns surgical execution, plan approval, and final delivery, which are the steps that require their license and clinical judgment.
Room setup follows the same logic and supports this delegation model. Surgical suite configuration, equipment placement, and supply checklists are standardized so that any trained assistant can prepare the room without the dentist directing each step. This standardization addresses a common scaling bottleneck. Scaling restorative volume in dental practices is often limited by logistics rather than clinical skill, with bottlenecks commonly occurring in impressions, lab communication, case tracking, and remakes, not in the surgery itself.
Treatment Coordination and Closing Systems for Full-Arch Cases
Most full-arch cases are lost at the consultation table rather than in the operatory. A patient who cannot visualize the outcome, understand the financing, or trust the team’s competence will not schedule, regardless of the clinical quality of the workflow behind them.
The FAM Method includes a structured closing system taught by Full Arch Masters’ in-house treatment coordinator, who maintains an 80% closing rate on full-arch consultations. The system covers:
- New patient acquisition and pipeline management
- Case presentation sequencing and visual aids
- Patient financing through partners such as ProceedFinance
- Objection handling specific to high-ticket full-arch cases
- Follow-up drip campaigns for unconverted consultations
With proper coaching and communication training, treatment coordinators and front-office team members can handle financial conversations including explaining value, discussing financing, presenting treatment plans, and navigating objections without the dentist in the room. Building that capability requires explicit training, not osmosis.
Post-Training Support: Alumni Community and KOL Buying Group
Support for the FAM Method continues long after the course ends. Every Full Arch Masters attendee, regardless of which course they complete, joins a continued community of hundreds of FAM-trained dentists, lab technicians, and team members through private group chats.
The community includes a dentist-only channel for sensitive practice and personnel questions and a main multi-role channel for clinical and operational case help on demand. Alumni also gain access to the FAM KOL, Key Opinion Leader, buying group at no recurring cost.
The buying group provides vendor discounts on Neodent implants, exocad licenses, Envisiontec and DentaFab 3D printers, photogrammetry systems, and other equipment. Attending one course activates the discount access permanently, with no ongoing membership fee required.
The digital resource library distributed after each course covers surgical room setup checklists, finishing techniques, treatment coordinator forms and presentations, and consent templates including for advanced placements. Full Arch Masters courses are accredited through AGD PACE, with 32 CE credits available for the main courses, which count toward continuing education requirements for AGD Fellowship and Mastership designations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the FAM Method different from a standard digital full-arch workflow?
Most practices that describe their workflow as digital are running a hybrid model that uses partial intraoral scanning, off-site lab work, and multi-day appointments that send patients home between surgical and prosthetic phases. The FAM Method is an end-to-end integrated system with seven steps taught as a single repeatable sequence executed by a trained team on the day of surgery:
- Preoperative records and data acquisition
- Photogrammetry and intraoral scanning
- CBCT and digital treatment planning
- exocad design
- Immediate-load conversion
- Final zirconia design and finishing
- FP1-specific design, team implementation, and workflow scaling
The differentiator is integration and repeatability across all seven steps, not the presence of any individual digital tool.
How accurate is photogrammetry for full-arch implant cases, and why does the FAM Method use it?
Photogrammetry captures implant positions via vector triangulation without the stitching errors that accumulate when intraoral scanners traverse long edentulous spans. As detailed in Step 2, systematic reviews and in vitro studies consistently show photogrammetry outperforming intraoral scanning for complete-arch accuracy.
This level of accuracy supports passive fit of the final prosthesis, which is why the FAM Method uses photogrammetry as the primary implant position capture tool. Photogrammetry is paired with an intraoral scan to record soft tissue morphology, since photogrammetry systems capture implant positions only.
How long does it take to deliver a same-day full-arch restoration using the FAM Method?
The FAM Method is designed to take a patient from arriving with missing or failing teeth to walking out with a screwed-in same-day restoration in 2 to 4 hours. That timeline is achievable when the full team is trained on the workflow.
The surgical assistant handles records acquisition and photogrammetry capture, the lab technician runs immediate-load printing in parallel with surgery, and the treatment coordinator completes the consultation and financing before the surgical date. Practices running hybrid or analog workflows typically cannot achieve this timeline because the lab work is sequential rather than parallel, and because non-billable steps remain on the dentist’s plate.
Can a practice scale beyond two full-arch cases per month with the FAM Method?
Scaling beyond two arches per month is primarily a systems problem rather than a clinical one. The constraint usually comes from the workflow around the procedure, including undefined delegation, sequential rather than parallel lab work, a consultation pipeline that leaks cases at the closing table, and a team that has not been trained to own their steps independently.
The FAM Method addresses all of these issues through explicit role ownership for the assistant, lab technician, and treatment coordinator, parallel immediate-load fabrication during the surgical day, a structured closing system, and documented room setup and handoff protocols. Alumni report adding $1M+ per year in practice revenue after adopting the workflow, which reflects both higher case volume and improved case acceptance rates.
What CE credits does Full Arch Masters offer, and how are they accredited?
Full Arch Masters courses are accredited through AGD PACE, the continuing education approval program of the American Academy of General Dentistry. The main courses each carry 32 CE credits.
The FAM Fellowship, which bundles the Flagship, Design and Finish, and Live Surgical courses plus a fourth course of the practice’s choice, delivers over 90 CE hours across the full program. AGD PACE accreditation means the credits are recognized for AGD Fellowship and Mastership continuing education requirements and are broadly accepted across state dental board CE reporting systems.
Does the entire dental team need to attend, or just the dentist?
The FAM Method is built around full-team execution, one team and one workflow. A dentist who attends alone returns to a practice where the assistant, lab technician, and treatment coordinator are not trained on the same system, which means the workflow cannot run at volume on day one.
Most Full Arch Masters attendees come as a practice owner with their treatment coordinator and lead assistant, or as a dentist with their in-house lab technician. Team-member pricing is built into every course, at $2,500 per additional team member for the Flagship Course, which makes it structurally practical to bring the whole team. The Flagship Course is capped at eight dentists per cohort to keep the experience hands-on for every attendee.
Conclusion
The gap between a practice doing one or two full-arch cases per month and one running a predictable, profitable same-day digital workflow usually reflects an operating system gap rather than a clinical gap. The seven-step workflow, the team delegation model, the treatment coordination and closing system, and the continued peer community all contribute to that operating system.
The FAM Method addresses each of these elements, from preoperative records through final zirconia delivery, and from surgical assistant through treatment coordinator, with day-one training and lifetime alumni access. Full Arch Masters courses are AGD PACE-accredited for 32 CE credits, taught by a cross-trained instruction team that has worked every role they teach, and capped at eight dentists per cohort to keep the experience hands-on. Alumni report significant revenue growth after adopting the workflow, driven by both higher case volume and improved case acceptance rates.
