Noah Levine

A pair of recently released market analysis reports point to the steady growth of digital technologies in use in the dental space, with a projection that the global market for 3D printing will hit $3 billion by 2018 and the dental CAD/CAM market will reach $540 million by 2016.

High-tech doesn’t have to mean bad for the planet. In fact, upping your practice’s use of technology is one of the easiest ways to lighten your environmental impact and make your practice more attractive to patients looking to lighten their own impacts. Whether through reduction of waste, energy savings or simply by promoting an eco-friendly wellness model of care, all of the these product categories qualify as “green.” Click here to see a slideshow of the product categories and thoughts on what makes each one "green." 

Shopping for new technology can sometimes feel like wading through a vat of alphabet soup. The number of new acronyms to describe features and metrics is imposing, and the pace at which new terms are introduced can be downright dizzying.

1. TruFit™ Ultra Thin Gloves are made of a soft nitrile material for the ultimate comfort in examination gloves. 2. The thin nature of the gloves improves flexibility and reach for the clinician. 3. The nitrile material retains strength, allowing the glove to stay intact during clinical use.

With a minimum thickness of 3 mm, the material is far from ready for use in fabricating dental restorations, but French 3D printing service Sculpteo recently added ceramics to the materials available from their production center. The 3D printed ceramic crown might still be a long way off, but this certainly seems like a step in that direction.

CEREC 4.0 Software takes full advantage of the speed and accuracy of advanced Bluecam digital imaging technology from Sirona. Sophisticated, yet easy-to-use multiple and simultaneous restoration design capabilities enable users to work on as many restorations as they want-and at the same time.

Clichés often come from a kernel of truth, so while there might be some room to argue over how many words it actually takes to equal a picture, there’s no doubt that images are valuable communication aids.

Adding a digital radiography system brings a range of operational improvements and efficiencies to a practice, and despite significant initial costs, these systems can even save a practice money over the long term. However, if the new, high-tech gear is not properly used and cared for, practices can find the price tag unexpectedly growing and eating away at the return on their investment.

The lab Located in Modesto, Calif., since opening its doors in the late 1970s, Hamilton Dental Design is a crown and bridge lab that also handles implant cases. The lab currently employs five technicians and two lab assistants.

Straumann® CARES® System 7.0 software gives users full flexibility to choose their workflow-validated or external (open)-through a single system. The validated workflow provides direct access to precise, high-quality materials and restorations through Straumann’s centralized milling facilities and pre-set design parameters. Customized abutments for Straumann bone level and tissue level implant platforms are available in Zr02 and Ti materials.

There was no shortage of major announcements from the host company of the recent Astra Tech World Congress, held May 9-12 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The event was the last major use of the Astra Tech name as the DENTSPLY-owned company was recently reorganized into the newly created DENTSPLY Implants brand. Abutment news

A sophisticated panoramic and cephalometric digital imager that incorporates Morphology Recognition Technology (MRT) to automatically identify patient size and all parameters for correct exposure, the Hyperion X7 eliminates the need to manually calculate exposure settings or select patient arch size.

At its Capital Markets Day event last week in Amsterdam, Straumann unveiled a project its calling Vision 2020 which is a plan based on the companies projections about the future of dentistry and the markets for replacement, restorative and regenerative dentistry.

Lately things have been moving at The Argen Corporation, and not just the numerous alloys the company produces for the global dental laboratory market. A recently launched employee Wellness Program helped encourage 39 members of the Argen team to take part in the La Jolla Shores 5K event last month. 

Since the first generation iPad was released just two years back the market for tablet computers has exploded, and with good reason. Tablets provide previously unknown portability and convenience. Sure laptops were portable, but they needed to be flipped open to use and weighed far more than a tablet. A tablet is as simple to use while standing as it is while seated and by design, these machines are ready to go the moment they're clicked on. Abundant advantages

Investing in the latest technology can provide large benefits for a practice, but with any technology, what was once new and cutting edge eventually becomes out of date.

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park in Boston, Objet Ltd., produced this massive replication of the Boston Red Sox's ballpark on an Objet Connex500 multi-material 3D printer.

Full Contour is a business that exists in the cloud and other digital spaces. Just five years ago it would have been extremely difficult to create a Web-based digital design service, but today Full Contour is thriving thanks to the rapid expansion of cloud computer and a world connected via the Web.

High tech for a dental lab doesn’t have to mean CAD/CAM, and more importantly it doesn’t have to come with a wallet-draining pricetag. Plenty of the cutting edge technologies ready to help you manage the business and make work at the bench more efficient can be accessed for free.

File sharing via Dropbox A cloud service that works equally well on computers and the mobile apps for the major smartphone platforms, Dropbox allows users to store files in online folders that can be shared to create a cloud-based portal between two Dropbox users. Video calls via Skype

The Lab Founded in 1976, PRO-DENT Laboratory Ltd. is a full service dental lab located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. With 45 people working in 7 departments, the lab strives to provide high quality restorations with customer service to match.  The product

Dental companies are starting to take advantage of the ways they can engage their customers and provide information and tools via iPhone and iPad apps. Here are some of the free options currently available in the Apple App Store: coDiagnostiX™ This implant treatment planning software from Straumann comes to the iPad in a robust app version that provides a great interface for viewing and sharing case images. ToothScout HD

I come here not to mourn the computer mouse ahead of its passing, but to celebrate it’s wondrous life and accomplishments, because surely we are nearing the end of the usefulness of this once ubiquitous device.

The QMIX 2in1 Irrigating Solution removes the smear layer and disinfects in one step following NaOCl application.

Delcam will launch major upgrades of its software for the design and manufacture of dental implant restorations with the release of the 2012 versions of its DentCAD and

CAD/CAM has become a way of life for some technicians and dental labs, but even labs with little to no CAD/CAM investment have felt the impact from the technology and the material and restoration options it’s made available. Numerous outsource options and workflows are available, ranging from sending a model to be scanned, designed and milled by an outsource partner, to investing in a scanner for in-house design, to buying into a complete system with on-site milling. It comes down to each lab finding what level of integration fits best.

With the many furnaces available from numerous manufacturers, selecting just the right one can be a daunting task for any dental lab technician. There also are four categories of furnaces to differentiate from, each made to best handle varying tasks. Having more than 30 years of component-level electronics experience, Daniel Serrago of IBEX Dental Technologies Inc., Richardson, Texas, literally knows all types of furnaces inside and out.

The new VITA ZYRCOMAT 6000 MS sintering furnace is capable of sintering up to 25 units as well as 9-unit bridges in 80 minutes starting from room temperature.

It’s no secret that the general public has almost no understanding of the work done by dental technicians. Most people don’t realize their dentist works with an outside expert when crafting their crowns, dentures or other potentially life-changing prosthetics.

Information provided by Henry Schein Inc. A complete online digital prescription workflow that helps route and manage lab casework, DDX Labscripts is a new feature of Henry Schein’s DDX (Digital Dental Exchange) digital case management system.