Exploring: Practice Philosophy

6 Dental Explorer | Fourth Quarter 2009

Modern Technology for Dental Communication“Can You Hear Me Now?”By Shane TreadawayVice President of SalesPittman Dental Laboratory

One popular cellular service provider has done a great job “brand-ing” this question into our heads over the past few years. We’ve all seen the guy with dark rimmed glasses with the sea of people behind him supporting the company’s technology and the service they provide. The intended message is how their service improves and streamlines communication. In most cases this is the focus of technological advances regardless of the industry.

Modern Technology for Dental Communication

Communication between the dentist and the lab technician forms a unity, bond and strengthens the core of their business relation-ship. In my sixteen years as a dental technician I have seen what is in my opinion to be the greatest developments ever to take place in the dental industry.

Until a few years ago, lab technicians and dentists relied solely on phone communication, or office visits by the lab tech or lab visits by the doctor to communicate with each other when technical issues arose. These methods were, and still are, an effective way to achieve successful results but are very time consuming, inefficient and costly.

On-going advancements in digital cameras have revolultionialized lab, doctor and patient communication over the last few years. In the past, a personal visit to communicate shade characteristics could consume half of a day production. Now, an image taken with a high quality digital camera can be submitted via email to the lab within minutes, saving literally hundreds of dollars in chair time.

In our laboratory, we utilize a microscope camera to communicate technical issues with our doctors. The days of pulling a clinician away from the chair to ask about an unclear margin, questionable bite or lack of inter-occlusal space are inefficiencies of the past. If we have a concern relating to the case, we simply take a few digital pictures of the area of concern and email it to the doctor. When the doctor has a break between patients or during lunch, the images can be observed and a reply will be emailed to the lab on how to proceed. This means of communication has proven to be more efficient for the lab, enables the clinician to physically see our concern in the images and reduces remakes, thus improving the bottom line for the doctor and the lab.

Better for the Patient

Dental practitioners and technicians agree that our main objec-tive in the efforts to increase the standardization of production by facilitating greater quality assurance is better restorations for the patient. It is with this focus that our laboratory chose several years ago to progress into CAD/CAM and automated processes. Now, most of our restorations are generated using some type of digital technology.

At the dawn of computer aided design and computer aided manu-facturing (CAD/CAM), many technicians became a little nervous. I remember asking the question, “Will computers and machines take our place in this industry?” What we have seen happen throughout the constant advances in technology is the question becomes a proven misconception. We are utilizing systems such as Lava ST Scan, Lava Mill, Dental Wings Scan and EnvisionTec wax print in our daily production methods. By increasing the efficiency and accuracy of the fabrication process, our technicians can now focus on higher tasks requiring a higher skill level. Digital technol-ogy and automation has not eliminated our technicians, instead it has made them better technicians.

Recent developments of digital impression systems have received the attention of many industry leaders. Earlier this year, we partnered with 3MESPE and their Lava C.O.S. digital impression

On-going advancements in digital cameras have revolultionialized lab, doctor and patient communication over the last few years.

Dental Explorer | Fourth Quarter 2009 7

system. The results have been quite impressive. One of our C.O.S. users was asked the other day about the accuracy of digital impres-sions. His response was remarkable. “I have seated 140 restorations with no adjustments or fit issues and less than five have required very minimal occlusal adjustment.” Dentists and laboratories utilizing these systems are giving the same reports across the board. Some even report the nationwide rework percentage of 0.5%.

Going Green

Most of us are more concerned with our environment than ever before and thankfully, many are making great efforts to reduce the amount of waste and pollutants we release into our environment. One tremendous advantage I have shared with our clients using or interested in using digital impressions and CAD/CAM equipment is that it eliminates a lot of the chemicals and plastics used in tra-ditional methods. Most clinicians still use plastic trays coated with the chemicals of tray adhesive and loaded with a compound of goo we call impression material then place it in a person’s mouth where it chemically reacts and hardens; only to be poured-up a couple of times and thrown away. It is understood that there hasn’t been an accurate way around this procedure…until now. Digital impres-sions eliminate this. No chemicals, no goo, better for the patient and our planet.

Lava C.O.S. and other digital impression systems also create a cleaner environment for the lab technician. The lab receiving the impression file marks the margins and evaluates the bite and prep virtually. The models are generated using stereolythography based on the final image from the lab. The SLA models are solidified from a pool of resin using a laser. These highly accurate models are cleaner to produce and eliminate dust and air impurities left behind by traditional plaster process and chemical impressions.

I Can Hear You Now

Digital technology is not the future of dentistry; it is the present and it is becoming more commonplace in our daily workflow. The laboratories and clinicians that embrace this way of doing den-tistry will be glad they are experiencing the benefits first hand. It is practice-altering and can have a tremendous positive effect on your bottom line. An advantage to being a full service labora-tory is having the resources to integrate these technologies into our business model. Many labs may not be in the position to make the investment it takes to offer all of the “in-house” services mentioned. But they are still able to offer one of the most valuable things in dentistry, which is the relationship a dentist has with his or her laboratory. Our position is to not only be available for the dentist that doesn’t have that kind of unity with the lab, but to open opportunities to labs that want to utilize our services for their client base through a non-competitive partnership.

The lines of communicating difficult shades, technical concerns and questionable impressions have opened to levels we have never seen before and it will continue to improve as technology pro-gresses. The lab technician can now have a better understanding of clinician’s expectations. The dentist has the capability to see what the technician is seeing, without being at the lab.

If the guy in dark rimmed glasses were in front of me today, to ask me his question as it relates to embracing technology and the many changes in dentistry, I would have to reply; “Yes sir, I can hear you now.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shane Treadaway began his career as a dental technician with Pittman Dental Laboratory more than 16 years ago. After learn-ing most of the areas of the dental laboratory, he began working as a technical advisor to the dentist clients of Pittman and shared the duties of management and quality control. Upon completion of various courses at the Dawson Center, PTC and many other hands clinics in the region, Shane was promoted to Vice Presi

dent of Sales and Marketing in 2002. His team is recognized as one of the most advanced lab teams in the Southeast. Shane resides in North Georgia with his wife Missy and their children Caleb and Lauren.

Pittman Dental Laboratory 2355 Centennial Circle, Gainesville, GA 30504770-534-4457 / www.pittmandental.com