dental lab news and technology trends
|
Published by Gnathodontics, Ltd.
Summer 2006
© 2006 Gnathodontics, Ltd.
|
Today’s esthetically demanding dental patients are in tune with cosmetic procedures, due in part to recent television
programs such as Extreme Makeover and Dr. 90210. At Gnathodontics, we provide a custom shadetaking service to help
satisfy your patients’ cosmetic desires. In this article, I will detail our service and how it insures your patients
are provided with the best possible results for their final restorations.
Scheduling works best if the dental office calls our laboratory to schedule patients as part of routine checkout
protocol. This insures that the patient gets scheduled at the laboratory right away, which in turn enables us to
stay on a pre-determined turnaround time of two to three weeks in the laboratory. When the shade-taking appointment
is left up to the patient, all too often it doesn’t get scheduled soon enough and causes delays.
I prefer a two-appointment process. It helps if patients are prepared for this beforehand so they are not surprised
by the need to make two trips to the laboratory. The purpose of the first appointment is to pick a color for the
porcelain build, take digital photographs, and discuss the patient’s expectations for the final result. The second
visit is a follow-up shade verification appointment to check the restoration before the final glazing procedure and
verify that the color is correct. If possible, I prefer to remove the temporary restoration and try in the actual
crown. This generally eliminates any problems at the seating appointment in the clinic. If a try-in is done, the
procedure needs to be approved by the dentist and the temporary removed by the dental office before the patient
comes for the second appointment, or doctors can give us a written prescription to do so.
There are several other important issues that make the entire process more efficient. I have found that taking a
shade the day of the dental appointment is not a good idea unless it is done before the appointment at the dental
office. The teeth tend to dehydrate after typical prepping and impression techniques, resulting in an inaccurate
shade evaluation. Always provide the laboratory with a stumpf shade (underlying prep shade) for all-ceramic
restorations. This can be done with the IPS Empress® stumpf guide or a regular shade guide, but the information
is vital. Also, please indicate if the patient has endodontically treated teeth or a post and core.
Finally, bleaching procedures should be discussed and completed before the appointment at the laboratory. Often
patients tell me that they are planning on doing some bleaching in the future. This makes it very difficult to
get an accurate color match as it is nearly impossible to guess where the color will end up after bleaching. If
the patient is currently bleaching, he or she should be finished at least five days before the first laboratory
appointment.
Following these helpful guidelines, we can give patients the final restoration(s) they deserve. We look forward
to providing you with some of today’s latest developments in dentistry and being a part of your dental team.
New to our line of cosmetic restorations, IPS e.max® is a system designed for simplicity that can be used
anywhere in the mouth. At Gnathodontics, we have combined IPS e.max ZirPress with 3M Lava™ frameworks for
a new combination product that addresses the esthetic demands of today’s cosmetic-oriented patients. This
combination meets the strength requirements for bridges while allowing traditional cementation.
Ivoclar Vivadent, best known for the excellent cosmetic system IPS Empress®, has developed a complete line of
highly esthetic pressable ceramic ingots for zirconium oxide frameworks. IPS e.max ZirPress gives us the
ability to press highly esthetic ingots over incredibly strong Lava Zirconium Oxide crown and bridge frameworks.
This premium restoration from Gnathodontics offers an unmatched combination of IPS Empress esthetics with Lava
strength and ease of use for the clinician. The results are simply beautiful!
 |
• Conventional cementation
• Excellent marginal integrity
• Perfect for combination cases
• Flexural strength of 1200 Mpa
• Outstanding match with adjacent restorations
• Strong homogeneous bond of ceramic to coping
|
What we need from you to fabricate an e.max ZirPress case: a deep chamfer or shoulder prep is required to
achieve the 360 degree esthetic margin and either a Chromoscope or Vita A-D shade. For more information on
Gnathodontics’ e.max ZirPress restorations, call Kevin Kelly or John Bozis at 303.424.9515.
At Gnathodontics, we’re proud to announce the development of a new product that solves the common problem of ill-seated
molar bands inside alginate impressions. Our innovative DBALLOCK Staple positions molar bands into place and prevents
shifting as the gypsum is poured.
Orthodontists, pedodontist, prosthodontists, and laboratory technicians can now create an accurate
band fit every time. Designed as a double leg device, our DBALLOCK Staple has two inner straight legs and
two outside corrugated legs. The corrugated leg is positioned on the outer perimeter. The straight leg should be
positioned on the inner diameter of the band.
For added versatility and value, the DBALLOCK can be cut in half and used individually. As well, both legs of
the DBALLOCK can be cut or shortened to accommodate the relative thickness of the alginate impression.
As Gnathodontics’ orthodontic specialist, I invented DBALLOCK to improve the accuracy and fit of orthodontic and
space maintainer appliances. Now available to the dental community, the DBALLOCK offers a simple way to get great
results. Contact me here at Gnathodontics for more information.
With advances in technology such as CAD/CAM, digital photography, state-of-the-art materials, and
implantology, the dental profession is in a very exciting moment.
One area that is generating a great deal of enthusiasm is the dentist’s role in treating sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is now recognized as a true epidemic within an ever-growing population experiencing increased
longevity and swelling obesity rates. Dentists are at the front lines for diagnosing obstructive airway problems.
Apnea is a total blockage of the airway for 10 seconds; hypoxia is a reduction
in airflow that leads to at least a 4% drop in the blood oxygen level. Both of
these conditions elevate blood pressure and strain the heart. You will find that
about 17% of your patients are having their health impacted by this serious
disorder. Apnea sufferers are five times more likely to experience heart attack
or stroke, not to mention chronic fatigue and related health problems like
cognitive dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, gastric reflux, depression, and a
significant increase in auto accidents.
I am very proud to have developed a unique dental device for treating OSA,
the O2 OASYS Oral/Nasal Airway System™. This unique device is the first appliance
reviewed and approved by both the Dental and ENT Division of the FDA for treatment of sleep apnea as a mandibular
repositioner and nasal dilator.
OASYS represents a breakthrough in that it treats both the nasal airway and
the pharyngeal airway with one system. It not only opens the path of air
through the nose and repositions the tongue, changing the swallowing
pattern, but it also opens up the throat and airway while strengthening the throat against collapse.
You can easily incorporate the treatment of sleep apnea into your practice by simply quizzing your patients about
the signs and symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Working with a physician, a sleep study can then be performed
to verify the diagnosis. Under the new standards of care, dental device treatment can be the first line of therapy
for mild to moderate levels of OSA.
The traditional method of CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) involves wearing a breathing mask to bed,
which is very difficult to adjust to and has a high failure rate. Patient compliance increases significantly
with a small intra-oral appliance. Treatment depends on the individual, but informing patients that they have
a choice is greatly appreciated by OSA sufferers.
One of the best parts of performing this treatment is how happy patients are with how much the treatment
transforms their lives. Just the other day a patient told me that I was better than a marriage counselor
because being a silent bed partner has brought his wife back into bed with him and restored their marriage.
One hears appreciative comments all the time.
OASYS is now available from Gnathodontics. For more information, call us at 800.234.9515 or visit
www.oasyssleep.com.
Implantology is a growing (and exciting) part of the dental profession. New improvements seem to crop up every
day, making it a challenge to navigate the latest products and procedures. Your team at Gnathodontics is trained
and ready to assist you in case planning and implant placement using NobelGuide, the latest
patient-friendly treatment from Nobel Biocare designed for Immediate Function™.
NobelGuide is a new anatomically and esthetically driven treatment protocol that offers your patients
immediate function using guided surgery and a high precision template to place implants. Now, any type
of restoration can be placed in one visit, with function and beauty delivered using flapless surgery. The
surgical template guides implants into bone at exactly the right depth and position, and yields an easier,
more patient-friendly procedure. With less post-operative bleeding and less healing time, your patient will
be able to leave your office with a new smile and less pain through a method that reduces chairtime!
CAD/CAM technology produces extremely accurate templates for predictable placement that is safe and fast!
And with our training and experience, pretreatment planning to the final seating just got easier. Call us
to learn more about how we can help you increase patient satisfaction while reducing costly, time-consuming office visits.
- BACK TO THE TOP -- BACK TO THE LIBRARY -
|
