November 19, 2009
Leaving this morning to attend IDEA’s presentation of Otto Prandtner’s course, “Replicating Nature with Implants”. I’ve been provided with a model featuring a nicely prepared die for #8, and what looks like a Branemark RP implant replica in the position of #9. It appears from the course description, we will be completing the case using a zirconia abutment and two zirconia-based crowns. I will provide nightly summaries of the course material from the road, and hope to have some pictures for you next week…
I also wanted to report that we have hired a Removables Manager, Mr. Bill Tidwell, who will be responsible for the management and quality control of all removable prosthetics. Mr. Dan Murphy will stay on in his role of Denture Department Supervisor, and be reporting directly to Bill as we work to improve the quality of our workmanship and service.
We’re going to give Bill a little while to implement his vision for the department, and then we will be holding an evening welcome reception giving interested clients a chance to meet him. In the meantime, should you have any questions or comments concerning our Removables Department, please don’t hesitate to call Bill. I think you will find him knowledgeable, personable and ready to help you in anyway…
November 18, 2009
As noted before, we are one of the few labs in the country who is designated to mark margins for other laboratories on Lava COS cases.
I have just spent the past 3 hours marking margins for 7 cases, several of which could not be marked accurately due to deficiencies in the scans. Most notable is the lack of tissue/fluid control. Beware – Blood, saliva and remnants of retraction cord show up as scanned data!
Ridiculous.
So, as much as I love the idea of digital impressions, if you can’t be bothered with tissue management, don’t waste your money or my time. You’re not going to get any better result from a digital impression than you will from conventional methods…
November 17, 2009
For those of you still on the fence regarding digital impressions, and using the idea that the camera wand may be a hindrance, please read the following email I received from our client in Alaska who’s been using the Cadent i-Tero system for about 4 months (with zero remakes, I might add) -
“Jeff, just a quick note on the case for xxxxxxx… she was an extreme gagger!!! There was a question on the impression from Cadent. It just dropped!! No touch and excellent occlusion. I know we couldnt have taken a standard impression on her. Excellent job!”
Sounding like a broken record is one of my specialties, so let me repeat –
Please look at buying a digital impression system!
You will virtually eliminate retakes and remakes.
Your dentistry will improve.
Your insertion appointments will become predictably pleasant affairs.
Your patients will love it, and do your marketing for you.
Maybe that’s the trick. Instead of thinking of the purchase decision solely in terms of a cost analysis pitting conventional impressions against a digital system, give some thought to discounting a portion of the price of the system as a marketing expense and maybe the dollars will make more sense for your practice.
Both Cadent and 3M have specials going on through the end of the year. If you need contact information, please don’t hesitate to call me…
November 16, 2009
Sorry for being absent the last few days. Took a short fishing trip to the Keys. Playing catch up today – will get back in the swing of things tomorrow…
November 10, 2009
Just wanted to share a little episode out of my work day that is, to me, puzzling.
Had conversations with two clients – one person with whom we’ve worked for years, and a new customer.
The long-time client called to discuss material selection on a case he had just prepared. We discussed a couple of options, and then settled on a type of restoration. Afterwards, we entered into a general discussion of the business climate, which by all accounts is definitively slower compared with the recent past. I think all of us have a tendency to do a little soul-searching under the circumstances, so I asked my client about the quality of the work he’s been receiving from our laboratory lately. I regard this person as a very good clinician who makes an effort to keep abreast of the latest in materials and techniques. I was pleased when he gave me the proverbial “thumbs-up”.
Later in the day, the new customer called. He had just attempted to seat three, posterior crowns, and was not happy. In his mind, the contours were awful; the contacts were way off – in short, nothing about these crowns was satisfactory.
I couldn’t do anything but scratch my head. You see, I do all the final contouring of the restorations for our long-term client. I pride myself on my morphology and anatomy. I am diligent about insuring proper occlusal and proximal contacts (carefully seated on a separate solid model), and I had just been told that all was well.
And, I contoured the three crowns that our new client found to be completely without merit.
How is it that possible?
How can two dentists view the same technician’s work and have such diverse judgments?
I have ideas – For one, I’ve been working with one client for a long time. Maybe over time, we’ve come to know what we expect from one another, and maybe there’s a touch of serendipity – The client’s preps and impressions match well with my die stone expansion (I would mention investing and casting, but we also do a fair share of CAD products like Lava and e.Max with excellent results), so we get a very accurate transfer of reality from tooth to model. Or, maybe its in the temporization. Or, maybe I had a bad day, but given I was trying to please a new client, I’m pretty sure I made every effort to put my best foot forward.
I just don’t get it, and its frustrating. The new client made mention that we may be remaking the case. Obviously, I would rather not have a remake, but there may be a silver lining. If I get the crowns and models back, I can analyze what went wrong. Once I have an idea as to the nature of the problems, maybe the doctor and I can have a discussion as to how we can prevent a repeat. Maybe that discussion will be the beginning of another long-term relationship with a client who likes and respects what I do.
I sure hope so…
