An inside look at Glidewell Laboratories' Inclusive Implant Abutments, Inclusive CAD/CAM Bars & Frameworks

Glidewell Laboratories' Implant Division General Manager Dzevad Ceranic discusses the company's existing implants and future plans.

Q:  How did you got started in implants?
DC: My dental technician career began in 1998 at Pasadena City College. In 1999, I started working here at Glidewell Laboratories as a waxer/metal finisher. Within two years I worked up to ceramist, and by 2006, I was managing our full-cast gold department that was going digital at the time. In 2008, I began managing the Implant department. I have always loved challenges and found implants intriguing because of the knowledge and expertise it requires to understand their unique components. My interest for implants lead me to take many training courses, including UCLA’s Implant A to Z, to broaden my knowledge.

Q: Why should labs consider outsourcing their custom implant abutments to Glidewell Laboratories?
DC: Glidewell understands implant dentistry is prosthetically driven. Our custom abutments are designed by certified dental technicians with extensive knowledge and experience of the parameters crucial to implant prosthetics. We also have a staff of surgeons, engineers and research & development professionals to refer to, if needed, for optimum results. They know what labs want, restoratively speaking, so the lab has little to no adjustment to do on the abutment before making the final ceramic restoration.

Another reason labs should consider us is that we fully support digital dentistry, either from lab scans or their doctor’s intraoral scan. We use precision industrial mills to provide the highest quality abutments available today.

Finally, Glidewell provides strong marketing support for labs that become Inclusive® Certified Laboratories. We help dentists find each certified lab by providing contact information on our websites, monthly journal ads and quarterly nationwide direct mailers. We also offer an array of marketing materials including images, logos and high-definition video programs.

Q: In 1993, Glidewell stopped working on implant cases and in 2006 got back into them. What prompted that?
DC: We noticed the implant industry made a lot of advancement in the understanding of bone biology, bone grafting procedures, parts and components to reach a place where implant outcomes are more predictable. We started back into implants in a fairly limited way, not wanting to promise something we couldn’t deliver. In spite of this slow and deliberate approach to the market, implant services became one of our fastest-growing divisions and continues to grow rapidly.

The field of implant dentistry is changing. Glidewell understands the needs of the market and patient demands, and supports and services all dentists, regardless of the type of implants they choose for their patients.

Q: How does the lab take advantage of digital manufacturing technology?
DC: Glidewell Laboratories is the technology leader, with broad experience and knowledge of current, new and emerging technologies and materials. Glidewell takes a holistic and open approach to digital manufacturing. We make it easy for our customers to leverage Glidewell’s extensive expertise in integrating complex and diverse technologies. Customers can use their preferred technology to work with Glidewell for all their implant needs. We digitally manufacture a full range of implant restorations using scans from 3Shape™, Dental Wings, exocad®, DentCAD, Cadent™, CEREC®, IOS, E4D, Lava™, etc. Our goal is to make implant digital dentistry available, simple, convenient and affordable to our customers.

Q: What does Glidewell Laboratories have planned for implants in the future?
DC: Recently, we launched the Inclusive® Tooth Replacement Solution, a restoratively driven solution where you receive the entire patient-specific surgical and prosthetic stack to complete an implant case. This solution is just one reason Glidewell is the only true source of a complete restorative solution. We are adding tooth replacement solutions for all major implant systems that will be available to the market soon.

For dentists apprehensive about entering the field of implant dentistry, we can help them every step of the way from planning to final prosthesis. As the industry leader, we are committed to expanding access to implant dentistry to everyone by making it simple, convenient and affordable. We will also continue to host and welcome all dental professionals with ongoing educational opportunities at our state-of-the-art Glidewell International Technology Center, as part of a mission to provide a high standard of care. Glidewell Laboratories will always be here to support dentists and dental labs with restoratively driven implant products, services and resources.

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Inclusive® Implant Abutments
Inclusive® Implant Abutments are available in titanium, zirconia with titanium insert, and all-zirconia. They are custom-milled and designed using 3D digital technology and fabricated using precision 5-axis milling. Using either your 3Shape™ design file or model work, Glidewell Laboratories fabricates a CAD/CAM solution exhibiting high quality and outstanding value, with a natural-looking emergence to optimize soft tissue contours and crown esthetics. Compatible with up to 11 of the most popular dental implant systems, Inclusive Implant Abutments are designed and manufactured under strict quality control processes developed by dental professionals with decades of combined industry experience.
 

Inclusive® CAD/CAM Bars & Frameworks
Precision-milled Inclusive® CAD/CAM Bars & Frameworks represent a valuable service- providing strength, distribution of occlusal loads and predictability-wherever fixed or removable implant-retained prostheses are prescribed. From your IVJ-verified model with soft tissue, diagnostic setup and putty matrix, Glidewell Laboratories will scan and design the bar and, upon approval, mill and deliver the final product. The efficient process takes only five days, assuming prompt design approval-approximately half the time of leading competitors. Inclusive CAD/CAM Bars & Frameworks provide strength and predictability for fixed or removable implant-retained prostheses.