Imagining the Future: Dental Products We Wish We Had

As featured in Dental Products Report

Imagining the Future: Dental Products We Wish We Had. Photo courtesy of stnazkul/stock.adobe.com.

Dentistry relies heavily on technology, and, by extension, technological advancements. These advancements are what makes the industry ever-changing and allows clinicians to deliver the best possible care to patients. Even in just the past 10 years, dentistry has come leaps and bounds in delivering innovations born from new technology that improves quality of life for both patient and practitioner. A wide range of products, such as more ergonomic chairs for the clinician and artificial intelligence-boosted scanning and treatment planning, are just some of the myriad ways dentistry has evolved over the past decade.

Despite how far we’ve come, there are still specific needs dental professionals have today. Technology advances more and more every day, and with each new insight, new techniques and products become possible. Building on these possibilities is what makes dental professionals best able to serve both themselves and their patients. With these insights, there must be a desire to improve and the effort to keep going. After all, if there is no effort to improve, there is no innovation. Without innovation, dentistry becomes stagnant and practitioners and patients suffer. Looking to the future, here is a wish list compiled from industry experts on what dental products, innovations, and techniques they are most hopeful for, for the future of dentistry.

Additional Milling Materials With a Range of Unique Properties

By Eric Mayuga, DDS

My first adventure with chairside milling solutions began in 2004 with CEREC. I utilized the technology extensively for several years, then took a break to explore the wide array of new materials available through traditional dental laboratories, as chairside milling solutions were limited at the time. I wanted to ensure my patients were receiving the best restorations with optimal strength, esthetics, and quality. I returned to chairside milling with the Carestream by AG Manufacturing just before COVID-19 hit, without success. I decided to switch in early 2021, and after extensively researching the market, I purchased Roland DG’s DGSHAPE DWX-42W chairside milling solution. My ultimate deciding factor in purchasing the DWX-42W was that it was a solid, reliable chairside milling solution built by a great company with a long history of technological innovation in this space.

My patients are thrilled they can have a high-quality, durable restoration placed all in 1 appointment. It eliminates patient and staff anxiety that a temporary could possibly come off over the weekend or holiday. In addition, postoperative sensitivity is greatly reduced, and patients are happy they do not need a second appointment and possible additional anesthetic to cement the final restoration.

With the DWX-42W’s speed and ease of use, I can now offer inlays and onlays for patients and place more conservative restorations to preserve natural tooth structure. I currently use the Straumann n!ce block for all my restorations, and it polishes beautifully, with a precise fit and margins.

Another advantage of chairside milling is that insurance claim turnaround is much faster. Most insurance companies require the definitive restoration to be permanently seated before the claim can be sent. In the past, we would have to wait for 2 to 3 weeks while the crown is fabricated in a lab and returned to seat at another appointment. With the DWX-42W, we can send out a claim the same day.

Our office is growing, and we plan to add another dentist to our practice soon. I would like to have a second mill so the second clinician can offer the same excellent chairside service for patients. Currently, I only mill and place single unit restorations in the posterior region and have not explored anterior veneers or crowns, which I would like to add to our services. I would also like to explore restoring implants, along with milling multiple units and bridges.

In the future, I’d like to see additional materials with a range of properties come to market. For example, I would like to see a presintered zirconia block that can be milled in a reasonable amount of time. This may be already available, but I would like the ability to scan the tooth before preparation and mill a replica of the tooth so the patient feels the normal, natural contour they are used to.

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