Looking for Blocks? Patterson Provides Expertise Well Beyond the Sale

It’s not a transaction—it's an integration.” That’s how Remo Sagastume, Patterson Dental Digital Impression & CAD/CAM Specialist in San Diego, CA, and Hawaii, describes the way he works with dentists. That perspective creates a different experience when selecting CAD/CAM blocks for your practice, and it’s a perspective cultivated and encouraged by Patterson.

Creating Connection

Sagastume has a lab background. “My parents had a lab, my brother has a lab,” he said. Patterson initially hired him almost 25 years ago as a CAD/CAM representative for laboratories. He came to the job with deep knowledge and an understanding of the technologies and materials dentists work with every day.

When Sagastume made the transition to dental practices, he discovered some dissatisfaction with the results dentists were achieving with their restorations. “So, I decided to bring one of my furnaces from the lab and we met at a Patterson location,” he explained. “I thought I was going to host a study club, but really it was just a group of 5 or 7 owners looking to improve their restorations.”

At that first meeting of what eventually became a full-fledged study club with more than 1,000 members, Sagastume ordered pizza and walked the dentists through the process, including prep design and understanding materials. “Back then, I was teaching doctors who were doing PFMs how to work with feldspathic porcelain,” he said.

This year, Sagastume’s study club has already met 25 times at the Patterson Education Center in San Diego. In Hawaii, a second group meets about 6 times a year. That close connection with the dentists Sagastume works with has built trust in him and Patterson Dental.

Dedicated Team, Individual Needs

In San Diego, Sagastume and his technical advisor, Shawnell Armendariz, an expanded function dental assistant, work together to help dentists integrate CAD/CAM technology, including the materials needed to create in-office restorations. Together, they map out a 90-day success plan for offices.

“We try to set good expectations for an office,” explained Sagastume. “I explain that they need to walk before they can run. For example, if I go in on that first day and the doctor wants to do an 8-unit anterior case, I pull that back and say, ‘Let’s do tooth No. 30 using IPS e.max or zirconia.’”

It’s during these initial trainings that Sagastume and his technical advisor learn how the dentist and the practice function. “We learn their chairside manner. Do they have an assistant? Do they have two assistants? Do they understand how to prep? Do they know how to isolate?” Learning the practice’s process and workflow helps the team recommend blocks and other materials that will work best in the clinicians’ hands and for their unique needs.

In a “jumpstart” training Sagastume conducts with dentists, he focuses on materials. “I don’t overwhelm them with 50 types of materials,” he said. “I try to understand their practice and the opportunities.” He typically starts them off with 2 or 3 types of blocks and introduces more as they gain experience.

Treatment Planning a Practice

Sagastume describes “treatment planning” in the context of working with practices as they integrate CAD/CAM and the accompanying blocks and other materials. “I call it the dental ROI,” he explained. “Not return on investment, but rather Restorative, Orthodontics, Implantology. I ask the doctor, ‘Where do you want to focus when implementing technology?’ Some folks say they want to focus on restoring inlays, onlays, and crowns. Others say they’ll scan and send all anteriors and the tough stuff to the lab. Still others may say they don’t want to place implants but they do want to restore them, and some might  tell me they eventually want to place implants.”

With that information in mind, Sagastume and his technical advisor can develop education and recommend the appropriate tools and materials that will help the practice reach their goals.

Bottom Line: Expertise

Dentists will choose to work with partners who listen closely enough to fully understand how they work and where they see themselves in the future.

“Doctors are going to ‘date’ the person or vendor partner that resonates with them and understands their business,” Sagastume said. “That’s where our expertise shines. There are plenty of companies out there that do a great job from a sales perspective. But not many can talk about what happens after the sale. At Patterson, we can. We explain what to do if the sulcus is bloody and you have a certain material and use a specific type of cement or cord soaked in the wrong hemostatic agent, which will change margins. That kind of support comes from clinical experience.”

“After you ‘shop at my store,’ I focus on meeting your needs,” Sagastume continued. “Patterson is the only dealer with an integration team that supports those efforts—integrating the technology and materials, servicing them, and troubleshooting them.”