Noah Levine

There’s always a lot to see while walking the crowded confines of the Lab Day exhibit hall and last month’s show in Chicago didn’t disappoint with companies of all sizes showing off their latest products of both low and high tech varieties. But it should come as no surprise that my gaze was often drawn to the computer-powered end of the spectrum where I was not disappointed by the latest in CAD/CAM scanners, mills, printers and software.

When hygienist Nikki Hayes called out “You guys have all gotta get down here and see this,” over the headset intercom system used by the staff at DPR Technology Editor Dr. John Flucke’s Lee’s Summit, Mo. practice, it sent everyone running. What they saw did not disappoint.

This month our feature story presented a “chorus” of voices offering a range of views and perspectives on CAD/CAM technology, digital dentistry and the way computerized and robotic processes are changing the dental lab industry. The voices in that article may have differed in their opinions about the technology, but the one thing everyone seemed to agree on was that CAD/CAM technology is here and has already begun to change the dental laboratory industry in numerous ways.

The lab Founded in 1983 by Thomas Wade, CDT, and his wife Sue Wade, New Horizons Dental Laboratory is a small boutique lab in Broomfield, Co., with a focus on high-quality conventional removables and implant prosthetics. The product

http://premusa.com1. TS2000™ diamonds save time and money by simultaneously performing rapid gross reduction and creating a marginal finish line.

Video conferences, in one form or another, are certainly not a brand-new technology. But in the past, they’ve been mostly relegated to the bin of novelty technology because of either (or both) the high cost or low quality.

Both Integra® Dental Casework and Artizan® Dental Furniture provide designs that meet ergonomic workflow, infection control, technology integration and unique storage requirements. Artizan Dental Furniture offers flexibility with a wide variety of standard product configurations and the capability to provide custom product solutions in design, size and color.

Once again my schedule in the Dental Lab Products newsroom prevented me from attending this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but like many followers of all things high tech I eagerly followed news breaking from the show’s expansive exhibit halls.

CAD/CAM production in a dental lab needs to be a round-trip operation. The patient-specific information required to produce a restoration can be easily digitized, but the designs based on that information need to be exported from the computer in a physical form, and for labs fully committed to a digital production model, investing in a stand-alone mill can be a great way to take complete control of the finalized physical production.

Finding a product that purports to deliver a brighter, whiter smile is not in any way difficult. With whitening products on sale via late night television ads, Web sites and shopping mall kiosks, a dentist’s office or a pharmacy might be the last place consumers looking for whiter teeth begin their search.

It’s just a matter of time really. Eventually everything in your practice will come due for update or replacement. But, whether you’re a tech junkie who goes for the latest gadgets, or someone who prefers to stick with a trusted and well-used tool, the equipment and technology in your practice can still have a useful life after you have found its replacement.

When it comes to achieving success in the dental industry, partnerships can be a huge factor. Whether it’s the collaborative relationship between a GP and an oral surgeon on a complex implant case, the cooperation between a dentist and a laboratory technician working on a smile design case, or a dental lab relying on accurate production from a trusted milling center, in every case both parts of the equation focus on their specialty in order to produce the best possible outcome.

If you were among the many dental laboratory professionals in Chicago late last month, it’s likely you were bouncing between meetings at different hotels across the river and across downtown from each other. When making those cross-meeting jaunts it helps to travel light, but it’s just as key to be in touch while on the road.

The LOCATOR Male pivots in its permanent Denture Cap for a genuine resilient connection of the prosthesis without any resulting loss of retention. The male remains in static contact with the female socket while the Denture Cap has a full range of rotational movement. The self-aligning feature of the LOCATOR Attachment allows patients to easily seat their overdentures without the need for accurate alignment, and without causing damage to the attachment components.

Protects ears from the hazardous sounds in the dental practice with a 15 decibel flat attenuation response. 15 decibel filter allows for clear, natural communication while you work so you can still hear speech.

Having a focus for the practice doesn’t have to mean going all-in on a specialty such as endodontics or oral surgery. Nor does it mean playing up cosmetics or selling take-home products, but either of those are valid choices if they are the type of dentistry you believe in. General and family practices can really stand out by just embracing the reasons they’re involved with dentistry.

While a range of new technologies are making it possible for dental labs to produce restorations with greater efficiency, not every innovation having an impact on the industry comes in the form of a system designed specifically for dental labs.

Adding a scanner creates a clear path for a dental lab to transfer existing work from a physical to a digital workflow. But the process doesn’t start by scanning the next impression to arrive. The real first step to this process is deciding what type of scanner to invest in.

Talk with implant specialists, implant manufacturers and dental labs with a focus on implant restorations and one word seems to pop up in every conversation. Get them talking about developments and advancements in the world of implants and it won’t be long before they excitedly bring up the word “predictable.”

The need to keep all our tools and machines powered up is among the downsides to this extremely connected high-tech age in which we live. Sure, the fight for power outlet access is somewhat mitigated by the ever growing number of cordless, battery-powered devices, but all of them must eventually come in for a charge. To make matters worse, they all seem to have different charging cords with proprietary connectors. So while we are free to work and play unconnected and away from the wall, when it’s time to refuel, quite often a tangle of cords awaits us at the outlet.

Square footage and a sensible arrangement of the equipment and workstations is important to creating a new dental laboratory or expanding an existing operation. However, if the space the lab wants to use doesn’t have the right infrastructure to support the lab’s expected uses, there better be a plan to install the pipes, conduits and connections, or the business will have no chance for success.

The Lab

Electronic gadgets and all manner of cutting edge technologies are embraced in Japan in a way not really equaled anywhere else around the planet. The country is known for being a few years (or sometimes decades) ahead of the planet in how they’re using their electronics, and many of the world’s leading manufacturers are Japanese companies with at least some production based in their home country.

Some years see groundbreaking technologies sweep into the market and change everything, but 2011 was not one of those years. That’s not to say there weren’t significant new gadgets and features hitting the (now mostly digital) shelves this year. However, the last 12 months have been more about shifting trends and technology platform transitions that are setting the stage for what a few years from now is likely to be a vastly different looking technological landscape.

The new Vario Press 300.e was designed for optimal efficacy when working with lithium disilicate as well as other pressable ceramics. It addresses the thermal mass variances of different investments and ceramics on the market today by maintaining proper heat distribution and controlling the uniform transfer of heat from the outside of the investment material to the inside with the aid of press, temperature and virtual sensors.

Over the past few years, using computers seems to have become a much more hands-on experience. From desktops to laptops to tablets and smartphones, touchscreen interfaces are popping up everywhere and offering us innovative and intuitive new ways to control our machines. With tapping, dragging, swiping, pinching and typing on virtual keyboards all quickly becoming familiar, the door is now open for novel approaches to computer design such as Toshiba’s laptop like no other, the libretto W100. Concept in action

Featuring the proprietary Radical Amplified Photopolymerization (RAP) Technology innovative initiator system, this universal composite features both an extended working time and a reduced curing time. Suitable for anterior and posterior restorations, as well as composite veneers, the 100% spherically filled composite has a filler weight of 82% (71% volume)

At Ziemek Aesthetic Dental Lab, technology has become a big part of the workflow and an integral aspect of the business’ operations. Lab manager Jamie Stover, CDT, said evaluating new systems to see what fits with the lab is critical to the lab’s success.

There are many reasons dental technicians and dental laboratories pursue certification, but a direct impact on the bottom line is rarely the primary motivator.

With no water there would be no dentistry as we currently know it. Even if it might be just a small spritz, water plays an important part of just about every procedure a dentist or hygienist might perform.