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Volume2 Issue8
S
upporting
Y
our
P
ractice
Whatare thepitfalls?
Cost is still abarrier formanypractitioners. Currently, there
isnoconsolidationof the technology. Theremayalsobe
extra fees associatedwithfile transfers for bothdentists and
labs. Companieshave their ownarrangementswithdental
offices and labswith respect to fee structures. Theonus ison
dentists to select the right system for their needs.
Additionally, every systemhas slightlydifferent requirements.
Some require theuseof powder, others require thedentist to
mark themargins. Thephysical spaceneeded tohouseeach
systemalsovaries: someareportableanduseawandand
laptop,whileothers areonamobilecart system.
Althoughdigital impressionsmake restoration fabrication
quicker andeasier, the impressions still have tobe readable.
When struggling to takeclean impressionswithconventional
materials, usingadigital technique isnotgoing to solve the
issue. Digital techniques requireadryfieldand tissue retrac-
tionas thecameracannot see through tissue.
Theremayalsobedifferences in thequalityof thedigital
scans and the fabricationof themodelsused toverify the
restoration. Polyurethane-milledmodels aremore stable
as thematerial is in its final stateanddoesnot undergo
shrinkage. Incontrast,modelsproducedby3Dprinters areof
average toexcellent qualityas various factors (qualityof the
printer, temperature, humidity, atmosphericpressure, etc.)
mayaffect their dimensional stabilityand introducea small
marginof error. As a result, diesmaynot fit eachprinted
model in the samemanner.
Finally, practitioners shouldconsider thecompany’s support
structure shouldan issuearise, if softwareneedsupdatingor
there is aproblemwith the scanner, for example.
What shoulddentists look forwhenmoving to
digital impressions?
It is important tounderstandwhat each system is capable
of aswell as the intent of integrating this technology into
thepractice’sworkflow. For example, if aparticular practice
has a largenumber of orthodonticor implant patients, the
officewillwant toensure that the systemcan support the
correspondingworkflows. Discussionwith thecompanyor
sales representativemaybehelpful todetermineamatchbe-
tween the systemand thepractice’sneeds. This conversation
Whatare thebenefitsofdigital impressions?
The “wow” factor for patients isundeniable. Thosewho
haveexperiencedhavingaconventional impression taken
withpolyvinyl siloxaneor alginatewill notice the improve-
ment. This canbeadifferentiation factor.
Additionally, provided that thedigital impression is clear
andclean,model generation is veryeasy. Labs canquickly
move through theprocess and simultaneouslyproduce
themodel anddesign the restoration. Inmost instances,
themodel isonlyused toverify thecontacts andocclusion.
The turnaround timecanbevery fast, to thebenefit of
bothdentists andpatients.
Storage is alsoeasier asonlydigital files arebeing stored.
If there is aneed to replacea restoration, the labcan
reopen thefileand refabricate the restoration.
The turnaround time canbe very fast, to the benefit of bothdentists
and patients.
➋
Implantdesignusing theDentalWingssystem.
a.
Custom implant abutmentdesignwith superimposedcrown
design. Theabutment andcrowndesignfileswill be sent to
separatemills tobemanufactured simultaneously, hence
reducing turn-around time.
b.
Screw-retainedall-zirconia implant crownsbeingdesigned.
Themilledcrownswill be laboratorycemented to
manufacturer-milled titaniumbases for aprecisionfit to the
implantplatform.
➋
a
➋
b
