Dental Lab Products-2013-02-01

Check out this behind-the-scenes Q&A with Chris Urist, vice president of Primotec USA.

As part of our Chart Your Technology Course Series, the DLP editorial team outlines all the different paths for embracing CAD/CAM and becoming a high-tech lab.

Even labs that don’t plan to invest in CAD/CAM technology are likely to work with milled restorations at some point.

Adding a 3D printer to your lab can increase precision and accuracy while reducing production and finishing times.

Open-architecture scanners make it easy to connect your lab to an almost limitless range of workflow options.

Systems with a scanner, software and a mill allow labs of all sizes to bring start-to-finish CAD/CAM capabilities in-house.

A large-capacity mill brings versatility and self-sufficient production to labs fully invested in CAD/CAM production.

A little forethought can go a long way in delivering the best possible comprehensive restorative service.

Live out your standards in esthetics and individuality with style, quality and functionality from modern Europe with lay:art mixing trays. Choose from 8 different and all high quality mixing trays.  All trays fit into the ergonomically designed chassis with a protective and removable top. The range trays start from the glass tray with moistening stripes over self-moistening ceramic trays to natural agate or stylish glass trays.  

High-strength Obsidian™ lithium silicate ceramic crowns are indicated for the fabrication of full-contour crowns, 3-unit anterior bridges, veneers, inlays and onlays that are said to exhibit lifelike esthetics and toughness. Unlike layered ceramic or porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations, the restorations are resistant to chipping due to their monolithic composition and average flexural strength of 373 MPa. They are said to exhibit an ideal combination of esthetics and strength with translucency that mirrors the vitality of natural teeth.  

If marketing is about communicating with the public, then the sub-discipline known as branding is about projecting a unique identity that enables a dental lab to be memorable and recognizable. And so, a good dental lab marketing plan begins with answering this simple question: “Why should I (the dentist) pick this lab over any other?”

As everyone in the dental industry knows, technology is moving at a rapid pace and helping dental technicians work faster as well. We were not able to fabricate restorations as quickly or accurately in the past but we have greatly surpassed what we used to be able to do with the invention of CAD/CAM and other technologically advanced equipment.

When Robin Carden and the team at Glidewell Laboratories began the BruxZir development process in 2007, they wanted to create a monolithic zirconia material with improved translucency and strength. Carden led the process, with a team of about 50 people contributing. Thanks to President/CEO Jim Glidewell’s commitment to R&D and investment in the machines necessary to make it happen, BruxZir® Solid Zirconia was released in 2009, and has been gaining in popularity ever since.

The Lab