10 Questions: Zirkonzahn's Enrico Steger on artistry through CAD/CAM

Since its beginnings, Zirkonzahn has been respected by dental professionals worldwide for its approach to quality and its insistence that artistry still matters in the dental laboratory. Founded around a manual design and milling system, Zirkonzahn lept into the CAD/CAM arena with a start-to-finish workflow, all under the hand of Enrigo Steger, MDT and the founder of the company. We recently spoke with Steger about Zirkonzahn's goals, why artistry matters and what we can expect from the company in the future.

01. Zirkonzahn has been in the industry for more than 10 years now. How has CAD/CAM changed the industry since the founding of your company? 

In the last decade, the digital revolution in the dental field has taken place. Modern CAD/CAM technology not only enables a quick solution of nearly every problem dental technicians may be faced with, but it also paves the way to an entirely digital workflow. Because virtual planning and designing of dental prosthesis has become an indispensable factor in modern dentistry and dental technology, the trend in dental laboratories goes more and more toward an entirely digital workflow. 

02. How has the advent of more digital materials changed the dental laboratory market? 

The appearance of zirconia on the market has had a great influence to the industry. The capabilities that this new material, through the embracement of CAD/CAM technology, has brought to the dental field have been revolutionary.

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03. How has Zirkonzahn adapted and flourished in the midst of those changes? 

The first steps of Zirkonzahn were with the MAD/MAM machine, the Zirkograph, and through this product, it soon was apparent that this great product that made Zirkonzahn a world-market leader would soon be replaced by digital processing. The key to success with Zirkonzahn is to heavily invest in R&D, which allows us to be at the forefront with new products and product perfections.

04. Zirkonzahn recently introduced Prettau^® Anterior^®, a super-translucent zirconia. How do you feel new materials like this are changing the industry? 

No matter which product it is, the most important part is to utilize the full potential of the product and provide love to it because where there is love, there is passion, devotion and the willingness to create something good.

05. What other recent innovations from Zirkonzahn are you most proud of? 

We have a lot of good products, but it’s not something that I am proud of. It is more a matter of asking, “How can I improve and make those products better?” This is what´s important to me. New products are always exciting as they contribute to the betterment of dentistry. Here, we need to give everything with endless motivation and dedication to advance ourselves and contribute to the industry.

Next page: The advantages of a start-to-finish system ...

06. Zirkonzahn has a start-to-finish system. What advantages do you feel that offers a dental laboratory?

We have the complete knowledge about all our products as we manufacture everything in-house, which enables us to pass all of our knowledge on to our customers. This is being done in our 14 educational establishments worldwide. There are no secrets-only new challenges that will be reduced.

07. What advantages do you feel Zirkonzahn´s CAD/CAM solutions offer compared to similar systems?

Our CAD/CAM solution distinguishes itself through its complete digital integration.

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08. Zirkonzahn is known for pushing artistry. Why is that a value for you and your company? 

That´s the education I got. That´s the education I give.

09. How do you think digital dentistry changes or shapes dental artistry?

Artistry is a virtuosity from within. The digital dentistry components are only tools to expedite certain steps in the process; it does not create artistry. The user of such tools is still the artist.

10. Do you think dental technicians will continue to pursue artistry with these digital tools? 

I believe artistry is within each one of us. Some have more and some have less. I think artistry and esthetic beauties will become more and more important in the future. It will only be a fraction, but it will be the key to success and sustainability.