Matt Everatt visited the Henry Schein Stand at the recent BDIA event in London and met with Hamad Tariq, Head of Technical Sales. Matt and Hamad discussed the current state of dental technology and the future of digital dentistry. Hamad qualified as a Dental Technician at Manchester Metropolitan University and jovially called himself a ‘New School Tech’.
Investing in digital workflows for your lab
What changes have you seen in the dental lab market?
It has been a tough couple of years due to the pandemic and it has almost acted as a sieve. Some of the labs and techs who were close to retirement decided to close their doors for good and some of the NHS labs simply struggled to survive. The labs that are now open seem to be thriving, particularly the ones that invested in digital technology a while ago. Digital workflows are no longer the future, they are the now.
Why should your lab go digital?
Simply put, it is demand and supply; more and more dentists are investing into intra-oral scanning and digital dentistry, the demand is becoming digital. It starts in the clinic with intra-oral scanning and sending the images digitally to the labs. Labs are key to the digital workflow.
What should I consider when selecting digital lab systems?
Labs and technicians need to look at all their processes. Many labs can move into a full CAD/CAM workflow from start to finish. At Henry Schein, we are here to help labs through the whole process, be it the support around the selection of the system that fits best to the technicians needs, the tech support, desktop scanners, CAD Software, CAM equipment and of course materials.
What are the benefits to the lab, dentists, and patients?
With a digital workflow, the lab can save costs and time, not to mention material wastage. The accuracy is incredible. A real benefit to labs, dentists, and patients is the ability to be able to remake and replace appliances and prostheses from files, and re-mill crowns or 3D print dentures.
Dental Lab Scanners & CAD Software
How can technicians start to update lab workflows and increase their efficiency?
At Henry Schein, we offer a digital appraisal; we look at current systems and services with existing techniques and materials vs a new digital workflow. We look at the costs of starting out or upgrading the lab’s current processes and analyse the return on investment.
CAM Milling Machines & Materials
How can lab owners improve efficiency?
There has never been a better time to improve efficiency in a dental practice or lab, thanks to digitisation. Digital equipment helps to achieve a more efficient workflow, as it can help to avoid manual steps which accelerates the process and it can be more precise.
3D Printing
What are the latest developments for the lab workflow?
3D printing dentures is a real game changer as up until now there has been a crown and bridge focus when it comes to CAD/CAM. Essentially, you can go from digital impression straight to finish due to the advances in technology, cutting out lots of old techniques. This is ideal for NHS prosthetics, being a cost-effective solution.
What is the future for 3D printing for labs?
The future is 3D printing of multi layered permanent crowns. Until now, it has always been monolithic crowns which required characterisation and technical input. We aren’t far away from a future where 3D dentures and crowns will be fully layered and characterised using 3D printers.
To find out more about new technology for dental laboratories, visit www.hsdequipment.co.uk or email info@henryschein.co.uk.