The Power to Go Beyond Same-Day Crowns

Dr. Tarun Agarwal first began milling at his practice, Raleigh Dental Arts, back in 2003. For years, the focus was on single-visit, same-day dentistry—restoring 1 or 2 teeth at a time. But around 2023, Dr. Agarwal noticed a shift; he was taking on bigger cases, but wasn’t seeing the financial competitiveness or the profit he wanted.

By this point, he had already invested in lab design software, giving him the ability to design bigger cases but not the ability to manufacture anything without the lab. So, Dr. Agarwal, who also owns 3D Dentists, decided to open an in-house lab that focused on the areas of the process he wanted to control. He brought in 5-axis milling in 2023, upgrading to the Ceramill Matron from Amann Girrbach last year.

There was nothing wrong with the machine he had before, Dr. Agarwal said, but it just didn’t have the full capabilities his practice was moving toward. As he grew, he needed something more robust that allowed him to increase volume and mill more materials, including titanium.

“I wanted something with capabilities for where I am today and also where I’m headed in the future,” he said. "The Matron delivers exactly that—it mills metal with consistency, handles all materials, and runs multiple jobs overnight."

Ceramill Matron: Seamless In-Office Milling

The mill features a magnetic, RFID-supported 11-tool carrier and 8-fold blank changer. Dr. Agarwal likes the fact that if he wants to mill titanium, zirconia, and plastic at once, he doesn’t have to change anything out; he can just set it to run whenever he’d like without manual intervention.

The mill has its own built-in workflow and software, which Dr. Agarwal described as "fantastic," or it can be used with other software, making it flexible. The support the company provides also is very dentist-friendly.

“Dentists aren’t labs. We’re not doing the same volume, so we don’t have the same needs,” he said. “But when we need it to work, we need it work, and we need more hand-holding. We have a lot more questions, so a strong service and support structure is important.”

Ceramill Motion 3 Air: Your Starter Mill

When he invested in the Matron, Dr. Agarwal also added the Ceramill Motion 3 Air, which has a built-in compressor and mills both zirconia and ceramics.

The 5-axis machine combines wet and dry processing into 1 unit and offers an end-to-end digital workflow, as well as the same flexible integration offered by the Ceramill Matron.

The Motion 3 Air is a "1 puck at a time" machine, which Dr. Agarwal said is great for dentists who are ready to add a lab to their practice with a focus on traditional restorative dentistry. But dentists who are already taking on complex implant cases may want to consider going straight to the Matron.

Time to Take Control

Adding an in-house lab and investing in equipment like the Matron or Motion 3 Air gives dentists more control. They’re able to “start faster and finish faster,” Dr. Agarwal said, and they aren’t beholden to a third party’s schedule.

Dr. Agarwal sees robust practice labs as the future of dentistry, which means now is the time to invest in an in-office milling solution that’s right for your office.

“I think the practices winning in the future aren’t doing more single crowns,” he said, “they’re doing more complex cases and they’re doing them in the office.”

The opinions expressed are those of the individual clinician and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Results and experiences may vary.