CAD/CAM

Restorations created with dental CAD/CAM devices, specifically CEREC by Sirona, have directly and profoundly changed the process of creating indirect restorations. The technology developed during the past 25 years is revolutionary and represents a major shift in technique, materials, speed, comfort and convenience. Today’s machinable materials are up to 300% stronger than conventional all-porcelain restorations, and can be milled into highly durable crowns, inlays, onlays and veneers.

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.

January 2011 | Dental Lab Products The CAD/CAM Chorus The most excited person on the planet Lee Culp, CDT – Chief Technology Officer, DTI by Noah Levine, Senior Editor

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.”

Waltham, Mass.-Astra Tech, a market leader and innovator in the field of implant dentistry and CAD/CAM abutments, announces a global strategic alliance with 3Shape A/S, the Danish-based provider of 3D scanners and CAD/CAM software solutions.

It’s been said that death and taxes are certainties of life. Add change to that list. A new generation of dental lab operators are adapting to trends in the industry that include incorporating new technologies, using different methods of marketing, and coping with downward price pressures from overseas.

St. Paul, Minn.-3M ESPE announced that Jensen Dental has become the 3M ESPE Certified Lab Channel Partner in the U.S. Under the terms of this partnership agreement, Jensen will sell 3M™ ESPE™ Lava™ materials, software and equipment, and provide first-line customer support for dental laboratories as of April 1. The agreement will bring laboratories broader and more extensive customer support and expertise by leveraging the combined strengths of both 3M ESPE and Jensen Dental.

Titanium is becoming the new buzzword in dentistry these days. With gold more than $1100 an ounce and platinum topping out at nearly $2,000, the cost of the traditional high noble PFM crown, the bread and butter of dentistry, continues to skyrocket. This has kept laboratories and dentists searching for lower cost alternatives especially in an economy where everyone is doing some belt-tightening.

The patient, a 50-year-old female, presented with a large diastema, irregular teeth size and dull color. Furthermore, the shape of the teeth on the right versus left sides was different-as is apparent in the pre-op photo (Fig. A). The teeth on her left side were longer than those on the right.

January 2011 | Dental Lab Products Forward Trends: Technology The CAD/CAM Chorus Digital technologies for designing restorations that are then produced via computer controlled mills and printers have had a profound impact on the dental laboratory industry. Here we present an array of voices and opinions sharing their thoughts on what it all means, and what the future of the dental lab may look like. by Noah Levine, Senior Editor

February 22, 2010 | dlpmagazine.com News Nobel Biocare signs partnership agreement with Noritake

One of the unique things about Whip Mix is your commitment to Lean Manufacturing Initiatives. What first prompted the interest and how have the company benefitted?

CAD/CAM dental offices have the opportunity to use the system’s excess capacity and the practice’s existing dental staff to develop another revenue source. With the pieces already in place to produce state-of-the-art dental restorations, it is possible-through a boutique commercial dental lab-to profit from those underachieving periods during a normal day. These doctor labs can operate within the existing dental practice without disrupting patient treatment.

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.

Restorative treatment of the anterior dentition is still considered challenging, even with today’s innovative techniques and materials.1,2

The Hu-Friedy Nevi 4 mascot has traveled the globe, and a photograph of the mascot with a young Haitian girl was even featured in Dental Products Report's December 2011 Top 100 issue. Now Nevi 4 has found itself inducted into the National Museum of Dentistry. For more details on the honor, see the recent press release below from Hu-Friedy.

There's no doubt Ivoclar Vivadent's IPS e.max all-ceramic material has enjoyed great popularity in the dental lab market since it was first introduced more than a decade ago. The material has become a go to for its strength and esthetics, and has for the most part, enjoyed a solid track record in terms of reliability.

For those who have worked on the manufacturing side of the dental industry, it is often joked that once you're "in," it's hard to ever leave. The industry, while robust, is small enough to feel like an extended family and tradeshows serve as occasional family reunions. For this reason, when someone in the industry passes away, it truly hits home.

In just a day and a half several of our Modern Hygienist Facebook fans shared some of their most memorable discoveries while deep in the throws of a dental exam. Some experiences are funny and equally disturbing, while others are downright sad. If and when you can get past all the hair (TONS OF HAIR), the leftover steak fragments, and self-mutilation in the form of lip tattoos and piercings, think about an issue that is much less tangible while all the while extremely important.

Ultradent and its neighboring opponent eBay went at it in a competition created to raise money for the Utah Food Bank. The Ultradent vs. eBay “Beat It” competition encouraged employees and customers to collect cash and canned goods for points towards a company total. The resulting total of 148,013 pounds from this year’s competition equaled enough to feed a family of four individuals, three meals a day for an entire year.

As the Eco-Dentistry Association continues to update its blog, "The Green Zone," we'll be posting teasers here at dentalproductsreport.com, so you don't miss anything! This week:

The Identalloy/IdentCeram Council recently elected new officers and directors. Stuart Steinbock was elected to a two-year term as President and will continue serving as a Director. Devon Howe was elected to a two-year term as Treasurer as well as a position as Director.

D4D Technologies welcomes Don Tuttle as its new president and CEO. Tuttle brings 30 years of dental industry experience to D4D and hopes to make the company the world leader in CAD/CAM technology.

AADOM really knows how to get a conference started.