Archive for January, 2007

New Lab Management Today Blog

• Cercon zirconia bridge frame, under the Cercon section.
• Procera ceramic copings, under the Procera Zirconia section.
• Procera titanium products, under the Procera Implant Abutments section.

According to Eric Paley, CEO of Brontes Technologies, an estimated 50% of the roughly 50 million dental impressions taken each year in the U.S. are substandard, and require a second one or lots of finish work by the dentist to get them to fit properly. “Patients and doctors hate them,” stated Paley. Is the new 3-D Imaging technology out of Brontes the solution to our impression problems?

The Wall Street Journal profiled Brontes Technologies this week and explained: “Dentists, who are usually sole practitioners, typically average several impressions each day. And dental labs, which create the dental appliances, often find that a wax or plaster-like cast may not be adequate to create a proper denture, and may request a second impression be taken. Another potential pitfall is that the impression, which is usually shipped to the lab, could get damaged or lost in shipping, Mr. Paley said.”

Paley explainted that, “The Brontes technology aims to provide a consistently accurate image for the fabricator in order to assure proper fit and comfort of dental appliances. A dentist using the Brontes system scans a wand, about the size and shape of an electric toothbrush, over each arch of a patient’s teeth while it captures their images via a camera.

The process, which is painless and conducted in the dentist’s office, creates a digital video image that is transmitted to a flat-screen panel. It presents a detailed, life-size image that can be moved and spun for viewing at different angles by simply touching the image on screen. The digital image is forwarded to a dental lab so it can produce a permanent denture or crown.

The dentist can also save the image to access when ready to apply the crown, in order to preview the work when the new item comes in. The dentist can also maintain permanent images of the patient’s mouth to track changes in patients’ dental health over time, to prevent and diagnose problems. A traditional X-ray is still necessary to determine if there is decay underneath the surface of teeth or gums.”

As regards to the technology the Journal qouted two different viewpoints:

“As for Brontes’s technology, Mr. Freedman, director of marketing of the Dental Trade Alliance, said that in the short term, dentists using it may find it difficult to find laboratories that use digital images to fabricate appliances. “I think it’s still a relatively small universe.”

But Dell Dine, vice president of research and development at National Dentex Corp., one of the largest operators of dental laboratories in the U.S., said it is just a matter of time before a support technology is developed for labs.”

What are your thoughts? Will this be a standard technology in a few years time?

Source: FRANK BYRT, Wall Street Journal

We invite you to join us for a Restorative Hands-on Lecture hosted by 3i Implant Innovations Canada, Inc. and Impact Dental Laboratory. The lecture will be exclusive to the LOCATOR abutment. Antendees will participate in a hands-on workshop, seating limited to 10 people.

Date

Wednesday, January 31th, 2007

Time

7:00 to 8:00pm (light dinner — 6:30 to 7:00pm)

Location

Impact Dental Laboratory, 200-5300 Canotek Road, Ottawa (613) 746-0602

Please call Chris Carrier at 613-222-4281, or e-mail him at ccarriere@3icanada.com to register. Please register immediately, as seating is limited to 10 per evening.

NDX has posted their monthly newsletter. This month it features the website and services of Impact Dental Laboratory.

Read it here.

College of Dental Technologists of Ontario Competancy Profile

Ontario Ministry of Health Dental Links

We invite you to join us for a Restorative Hands-on Lecture hosted by 3i Implant Innovations Canada, Inc. and Impact Dental Laboratory. The lecture will be exclusive to the LOCATOR abutment. Antendees will participate in a hands-on workshop, seating limited to 10 people.

Date

Tuesday, January 30th, 2007

Time

7:00 to 8:00pm (light dinner — 6:30 to 7:00pm)

Location

Impact Dental Laboratory, 200-5300 Canotek Road, Ottawa (613) 746-0602

Please call Chris Carrier at 613-222-4281, or e-mail him at ccarriere@3icanada.com to register. Please register immediately, as seating is limited to 10 per evening.

As we approach the 75th anniversary of Vitallium, this is an ideal opportunity to briefly revisit the history of Vitallium and Austenal. The Austenal story spans over 70 years, offering a rich account that mirrors changes in the dental industry itself.

It all began with the original partnership of Reiner Erdle and Charles Prange in 1926 when Austenal was founded. These men began their company based on the concept of offering innovative material and techniques and the highest quality products for the dental industry. In 1928, at the company’s inception, this meant swedging Austenitic steel into metal bases for full dentures, an advanced procedure in its day.

By 1932, Erdle and Prange had been working with a new cobalt-chromium alloy that was showing great promise for strength and tarnish resistance. The method of casting it, however, was radically different and required considerable training for laboratories to embrace the new technique. As its biocompatible properties were further understood, Vitallium was considered to be a miracle alloy, offering tremendous benefits not only for dental patients but for orthopedic patients as well. The demand for Vitallium grew rapidly, and with it the demand for training and further innovation.

The Austenal Company went on to pioneer a host of new products, from porcelain denture teeth to pre-formed wax patterns. All the while, the family of Austenal Laboratories continued to grow, as did Austenal’s reputation for service and quality products.

The 1970s and early 80s ushered in the merger and acquisition phase of the laboratory industry and Austenal was acquired and re-acquired, eventually residing with large European conglomerate. In 1992, a group of American investors succeeded in acquiring Austenal with the mission of returning the company to its original philosophy of innovation, product development and service.

By 1996, advances in metallurgy made possible to introduce Vitallium 2000. This new alloy provided laboratories with improved handling and advanced physical characteristics. This was shortly followed by Vitalluim 2000 Plus, a formulation that allowed for the creation of even lighter, more refined partial castings.

The acquastion of Austenal in 2002 by Dentsply International made Austenal stronger than ever and ready to embrace the laboratory industry with innovation in products and support for the 21st century.

Learn more about Vitallium Partials.