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Forward Trends - Digital Impressions

Scan Wars

Scan Wars - The next leap forward in digital impressions may not be in the technology itself, but in the business models that allow dental labs to help drive the trend without driving themselves out of business. By Thais Carter. "Scan Wars." Dental Lab Products March 2010

The impression is a frustrating thing. The basis of the creative process, the souce of the data you need to do your job, the start of a conversation with each dentist-the impression carries a lot of weight and is something that, up until now, the lab has had little to no control over. As digital impression technology has evolved, so has the lab technician's role. In February's cover story, "Industry at the Crossroads," none of the experts interviewed could talk about the future of the lab industry without a sound bite on digital impressions.

Mike Girard, RDT, President, CEO of Diadem Digital Solutions Inc., put it most clearly. "Become the expert around the digital impression systems," he said. "Stay imformed, become the expert and help your dentist-clients wade through these dynamic changing times."

This article is a first step in helping you be more informed. It's not about the technical wizardry of digital impressioning and design, but rather, how the business models behind the technology are changing, the reprercussions for the lab, and new options to help you stay current without making yourself obsolete in the process.

THE TECHNOLOGY IS GOOD Sirona, Cadent, D4D, and 3M have been at the foorefront of chairside digital impression scanning technloghy. Their work in launching this category into mainstream dental practices, while slow, is significant.

"They did a great job on the front end bringing this technology to market," said Bob Vartanian, VP of Sales & Marketing for Colonial Dental Studio. "Anyone who was a good dentist got better. Anyone who was a mediocre dentist obviously improved his skill sets and could see could really see where he came up short for the first time."

In addition to receiving better initial impressions from the dentist-reducing the need for remakes or reimpressions-the digital workflow offers many benefits to the lab.

"No doubt, the faster the patient case id digitized the more streamlined, communicative, educational, and efficient the design and manufacturing process will be, " said Daniel Llop, CDT, President and CEO of nSequence Center for Advanced Dentistry. "Going digital also helps eliminate many cross-contamination zones and consumables in the dental office/lab, creating an environmentally safe and efficient work flow."

With such clear benefits, what's the problem? At the macro level, some would suggest the progress of digital impressions is actually leading to the eventual phase out of the smaller dental lab and, at the very least, compromising the local labs' relationship with their dentist.

CUTTING EDGE OR CUT THROAT?

Mark Jackson, VP and Co-Owner of Precision Ceramics Dental Laboratory, is not anti-technology and, having helped with the early testing for the Cadent iTero and 3M ESPE Lava C.O.S. systems, is not anti-digital impressions. He is, however pro-lab which in this case, casts him in a pessimistic (or prophetic) light-depending on your perspective.

"With the technology currently on the market, my biggest fears about digital impressions are centered around the fact that we're introducing a third party into the relationship between us and our dentist. Now, the case has gone from the doctor's hands, into the third party's system, then us. It would be an easy thing for the manufacturer to add a box to the order screen that say, 'Please send crown with case,' and suddenly, that work is all going to the manufacturer's facility, and we, the lab, are completely out of the loop. I think that's a very dangerous thing," Jackson said. With real fears of counterfeit materials and labs mixing and matching materials-"bastardizing product," as Jackson put it-companies that make both restorative materials and digital impression technology have strong motivation to enhance their role in fabrication process.

"It's not an evil move on the part of the manufacturer to destry the dental lab, but big companies have a moral obligation to shareholders to gain market share. If a company like 3M ESPE or Sirona processes a million models next year but only sells 750,000 milling blocks, their board of directors is going to ask where those other cases went. Why wouldn't they just decide that they need to take labs out of equation so that going with a competitor is no longer an option," he said. "I honestly believe that is where this could lead."

To read the full article click on the thumb nail above or visit http://digital.dentalproductsreport.com/nxtbooks/advanstar/dlp_201003/#/12

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