The Technology That's Driving Dentistry Forward
A landscape of rapidly evolving tools and technologies lays the groundwork for providing amazing dentistry that meets a higher level of patient expectation
Making Dentistry Fun
Dr. Chang has been offering same-day dentistry to her patients since 2014, and CAD/CAM is one technology that she truly cannot live without. “I can’t imagine ever practicing without it—please don’t take it away from me!” she joked, adding that the ability to restore a tooth in less than 2 hours is a huge benefit, as the immediate gratification for the patient and time savings in her own workday are irreplaceable.
“I really enjoy the artistic side of dentistry, and technology like CEREC has made it satisfying to restore teeth, as I have greater control over the restorations I create in regards to shape, contours, and shade,” she said. “Access to tools such as digital wax-ups, sintering ovens, various types of ceramic and zirconia blocks, stains, and glazes has provided me with more predictable outcomes. It makes dentistry so much more fun that it’s exciting to go to work every day.”
A Smart & Safe Investment
While any time is a good time to invest in technology, Dr. Chang is grateful to have purchased her Solea laser at the tail-end of 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was really important for me to be able to prep a tooth with fewer aerosols, and I was looking for ways to keep dentistry exciting yet safe,” she said. “The idea of not having to give the patient a shot to perform restorative work, whether on kids or adults, was such a cool idea. It almost seemed like magic.”
Dr. Chang has found that the all-tissue laser is much kinder to the tooth, as it abates the hard tissue while simultaneously disinfecting the surface. She also is amazed at how quiet it is, which she says creates a Zen-like experience for everyone in the operatory. “Patients are very happy with the procedure, and when surveyed, always indicate that they prefer the laser experience.”
What’s Next?
While it may seem impossible to predict the next technology that will take the dental community by storm, Dr. Chang is most excited to start using Primeprint, Dentsply Sirona’s newly launched medical-grade 3D printing system. “It’s the first dental-specific 3D printer and post-processing unit with an automated workflow that simplifies the entire printing process," she said.
Primeprint gives dentists like Dr. Chang the ability to 3D-print medicalgrade surgical guides, splints, models, dentures, and temporary crowns and bridges in-house, thanks to ongoing advancements in printing resins. “And the ability to mill custom titanium abutments in-office is just over the horizon," she said. "All these technological advances change the game in terms of achieving what I feel is the ultimate goal: to be able to restore the patient in the least traumatic, most efficient way possible, using the best materials available and within the shortest amount of time. A happy patient is a happy dentist!”
Over the next several pages, DPS explores a handful of product categories that have undergone the biggest transformations in recent years—from digital scanners and magnification to “magic” materials designed to rebuild healthy tooth structure.
INTRAORAL SCANNERS
Step into digital dentistry with the intraoral scanner, whose evolution over the past several years has been extraordinary—allowing practitioners to scan patients in less than a minute and dramatically increase the accuracy of their restorations.
Packed with patient engagement apps like TRIOS Patient Monitoring and TRIOS Smile Design, the 3Shape TRIOS 4 helps patients better understand their oral health issues and visualize treatment options. Available wired and wireless, it offers increased battery life and a new generation of TRIOS smart tips with an automatic use counter and instant-heat technology.
Align Technology’s iTero Element 5D Plus imaging system simultaneously records 3D models, intraoral images, and aids in caries detection above the gingiva using near-infrared technology. It also is available in a space-saving mobile design with VESA mounting for a zero footprint. With a Smart Pixel Sensor that processes over 1 million 3D data points per second, Dentsply Sirona’s Primescan produces photorealistic and highly accurate scans. Validated and open data transfer options allow for instantaneous sending of high-resolution models to labs or other partners.
Denterprise’s QuickScan IOS is an entry-level scanner that offers full-colordigital scans, an easy-to-use interface, simple fi le sharing, and impressive speed and accuracy. A slender, lightweight handpiece makes it easy to capture a full-arch scan in one pass.
Featuring turbo scanning speed that has been proven to scan in vitro single arches in 30 seconds, the CS 3700 from DEXIS features a revolutionary new workflow that lets users navigate freely among different clinical applications, including restorative, orthodontic, implant, and sleep device.
Exceptionally small and lightweight, the Planmeca Emerald S captures digital impressions in vivid and lifelike colors— from single- and multiunit restorations to full arches—while supporting imports and exports in both STL and PLY file formats. A SlimLine tip is available for patients with smaller mouths, making it easier to reach posterior teeth and interproximal areas.
MAGNIFICATION
What you use to visualize the oral cavity matters. Loupes and headlights designed for both ergonomics and eye safety are designed to do just that. Orascoptic’s EyeZoom allows users to switch seamlessly between 3x, 4x, and 5x magnification levels. Patent-pending technology provides edge-to-edge clarity and high-definition resolution, while working distance and declination angle are customized to each individual user.
The Endeavour XL headlight offers a precise beam of light. Multiple light intensities up to 85 lumens and 25% brighter light output than the original Endeavour ensure the optimal magnification for each procedure.
Committed to creating posture-safe loupes that keep clinicians working in an upright position, SurgiTel offers dental loupes with a unique pantoscoptic angle for larger fields of view and declination angles, while low blue light emissions and True Color technology encourage the highest color accuracy.
Available in both TTL and FLM mounting options, the Micro Line features miniaturized oculars for the lightest weight in magnifications from 2.5x to 4.5x. The touch-free Eclipse CS LED is motion-activated, thanks to an advanced capacitive proximity sensor, which prevents cross-contamination during use.
ErgoPrism loupes, from LumaDent, feature a long optical length that allows the lenses to achieve higher magnification than traditional Galilean loupes. Weighing less than 3 oz and available in 3.3x, 4.3x, and 5.0x magnifications, ErgoPrism loupes feature optical-grade glass that ensures the working area is crystal clear from edge to edge. Rx-ready, every LumaDent loupe order includes prescription service.
LumaDent's ProLUX headlight offers the perfect circular beam in 4 brightness settings. It features adjustable light intensity up to 60,000 lux and can last up to 40 hours on a full charge. Every battery pack includes a belt clip for added convenience.
PATIENT COMMUNICATION
Several decades ago, a quick phone call confirming a patient’s dental appointment was the definition of patient communication. Today, simple, straightforward software programs make it easy to attract and interact with patients— even after they leave the chair.
Weave’s phone system and robust suite of communication tools includes two-way texting, customizable digital forms, email marketing campaigns, and advanced call analytics that track call volume, missed calls, and how many calls are coming from current vs potential customers.
In addition to custom website design and SEO services, Officite, from Henry Schein One, features call tracking that lets practices calculate how many patients keep appointments once they are scheduled. An easy-to-use doctor portal lets team members update page content, manage patient appointments, view web statistics, and get help.
Also from Henry Schein One, Dentrix Patient Engage gives practices total control over how they wish to communicate with patients through robust features like customized appointment and re-care reminders, electronic patient forms, online appointment booking, and more. A newly added PhoneSight feature matches incoming calls with patient details from Dentrix and displays the most important info on a convenient pop-up window.
Offering dental website design, digital marketing services, and SEO, VivioSites ensures your practice is mirrored online with customizable website designs, an extensive patient education library, and excellent customer service. Dynamic keyword strategies, on- and off-page optimizations, and weekly content updates ensure VivioSites websites appear on the first page of a Google search.
A long-standing leader in patient communication, Lighthouse 360 is a powerful, easy-to-use system that automates patient reminders, reactivates dormant patients, and detects last-minute cancellations to keep schedules full. Features like Patient FastTrack automate the new patient onboarding process by letting patients fill out and eSign intake paperwork on their smartphones.
ProSites offers a wealth of services designed to attract and retain patients—including pay-per-click advertising, website design, online patient payments, virtual consultations, and more. Additionally, video marketing allows practices to highlight their friendly staff, give patients a virtual tour of their office, and share testimonials from happy patients.
An all-in-one dental marketing platform, RevenueWell features RevenueWell Phone, a cloud-based VoIP system that integrates phone, two-way texting, fax, email, and video conferencing. Integration with practice management software allows for ScreenPop, which delivers on-screen access to relevant patient data during incoming calls.
Designed specifically for the medical and dental industries, The DocSites offers affordable pricing and website design packages that include SEO and social media marketing. Practices can choose to embed positive Yelp reviews onto their website.
CLEAR ALIGNERS
The concept of clear aligner therapy dates back to 1945, when an American orthodontist invented a custom removable appliance made of rubber that functioned like a mouthguard.
With ClearCorrect clear aligners, clinicians can send in impressions, photos, and x-rays from nearly any intraoral scanner and receive a 3D model and web-based treatment plan. Designed for comfort and durability, ClearQuartz tri-layer aligner material allows for more accurate tooth movements, while the ClearPilot software integrates case information and treatment planning tools within a single digital platform.
Henry Schein’s Reveal Clear Aligners allow general practitioners to provide reliable orthodontic treatment to their patients that is both comfortable and esthetic. A web-based treatment planning software, Studio Pro 4.0, offers virtual setup tools that allow clinicians to visualize, customize, and communicate treatment plans for more predictable outcomes. In-office implementation, support, and access to marketing materials helps Reveal practices grow.
3M Clarity Aligners offer a multi-material aligner system called Flex + Force that allows clinicians to choose how to start, adapt, and finish treatment. For example, 3M Clarity Aligners Flex, a flexible 5-layer material, might be a good option to achieve expansion before moving to 3M Clarity Aligners Force for rotation and finishing. Treatment planning is simple using Advanced Tx Design within the 3M Oral Care Portal.
Dentsply Sirona’s SureSmile Aligners create the ideal smile by combining precise digital treatment planning with clinical lab expertise. Reliable aligner tracking means 50% fewer refinements than other clear aligners, and an above-average firstround treatment plan acceptance rate.
Transparent and stain-resistant, Biotech Dental’s Smilers Clear Aligners allow for root segmentation to promote safer and more predictable treatment. Cases are planned by an orthodontist and each aligner is scallop-cut and hand polished for greater patient comfort and bacteria resistance. Aspen Dental’s Motto clear aligners offer quality, affordability, and convenience.
Aspen Dental doctors guide patients at every step, starting with a digital scan used to customcraft every aligner. On-site labs and advanced, in-office technology allow patients to leave with a starter tray that includes whitening on day one.
Custom-made Invisalign aligners use proprietary SmartTrack material and SmartForce features to achieve 75% more predictable movement. With weekly aligner changes, treatment time is up to 50% faster.
BIOACTIVE & REMINERALIZING MATERIALS
Who knew the word hydroxyapatite would create such a buzz in dentistry? Thanks to new and evolving formulations and fillers, today’s materials are designed for double duty—restoring and recharging.
Bio-interactive restorations with Pulpdent’s ACTIVA Presto composite are powered by the groundbreaking Crysta MCP technology, a stabilized calcium phosphate that is arrested in a transitional state and able to provide needed calcium, phosphate, and fluoride to damaged teeth. Fracture-resistant and available in a variety of shades, the unique stackable material is easy to place and holds its shape without slumping.
A dual-cured, calcium- and fluoridereleasing self-adhesive base/liner, BISCO’s TheraBase generates an alkaline pH that promotes pulp vitality. Stronger and more durable than other base materials, glass ionomers, or resin-modified glass ionomers, it is radiopaque for easy identification on radiographs. Also in BISCO’s TheraFamily is TheraCem, a dualcured, calcium- and f uoride-releasing, self-adhesive resin cement that delivers a strong bond to zirconia and most substrates without the need for priming or etching. T
he newest member of Parkell’s Predicta family is Predicta Bioactive Cement, which fills and seals microgaps with robust hydroxyapatite formation at the margin to alleviate or prevent microleakage. The self-adhesive, self-etching, dual-cure resin cement offers high bond strength across a range of substrates.
Leveraging the power of Bioglass, which attracts and exchanges bioactive ions with the oral environment, Vista Apex’s RE-GEN Universal Adhesive promotes the regeneration of healthy tooth structure. Its alkaline pH aids in the prevention of secondary caries. Also in the RE-GEN family, RE-GEN Flowable Composite Liner releases phosphate, fluoride, and calcium ions while providing a strong foundation for direct restorations.
With indications for both crown and root, Septodont’s Biodentine bioactive dentin substitute features natural micro mechanical anchorage for excellent sealing properties without surface preparation. A new formulation, Biodentine XP, ensures a consistent mix thanks to a proprietary mixer and easy delivery directly into the tooth using a Biodentine applicator gun.
From GC America, GC Fuji Automix LC is a radiopaque resin-reinforced glass ionomer available in automix delivery. The bioactive material allows for a high, rechargeable fuoride release. The material exhibits excellent bond strength because it forms a chemical bond to tooth, even in the presence of saliva. It comes with an ergonomic dispenser that allows precise placement into the preparation.
A root repair material, Brasseler’s EndoSequence BC Sealer uses the moisture naturally present in the dentinal tubules to initiate its setting reaction. This highly radiopaque and hydrophilic sealer forms hydroxyapatite upon setting and chemically bonds to both dentin and to Brasseler’s bioceramic EndoSequence BC Points.
BIO-C SEALER, a bioceramic root canal sealer from Angelus, features mechanical and physical properties that make it easy to manipulate and seal the canals while its biological properties ensure safety and treatment success. The bioceramic composition allows the release of calcium ions, stimulating the formation of mineralized tissue.
DiaDent’s DIA-ROOT BIO MTA is a hydrophilic biocompatible pure white powder that promotes cementogenesis and forms a hermetic seal inside the root canal. The material features excellent biocompatibility, outstanding sealing capability, and easy handling properties.
The Shift to Amazing Dentistry
As factors such as dwindling insurance reimbursements, patient anxiety, and an oversaturated dental market make it difficult to attract new patients, practices can set themselves up to meet a new level of patient expectations. The way to do that might just be investing in the latest tools and tech.
“As technology continues to advance at an almost exponential rate, I am very proud to have a high-tech office that includes both a dental laser and a 3D printer,” said Dr. Chang. “It's not just about performing routine general dentistry anymore, but rather performing amazing dentistry with all the technology available.”
