NewsletterInside Dental Technology (IDT): As you look at the global dental landscape and the increased role implant dentistry is playing, how will digital processes continue to bring more predictability and quality to the patient as well as expand the part dental technology plays in this field?
Guillaume Daniellot (GD): Today is a very exciting and intriguing time for dental professionals and for the field of implant dentistry. The demand for implant dentistry is undergoing rapid growth, and implant treatment is transforming into a new world of digital processes that promise to bring more efficiency, predictability, and consistency to implant treatment processes and—in the end—offer better long-term solutions for the patient.
Critical to the success of the implant treatment process is the ability of the implant team to communicate and collaborate during all phases of treatment. However, efficient communication and collaboration are only possible through a very sophisticated network of digital tools that precisely capture and transmit patient data for the interdisciplinary team to analyze, treatment plan, and restore.
At Straumann, we believe we have built a solid foundation for our digital dentistry portfolio and digital workflow processes that offers interdisciplinary patient care and positions the laboratory as a key member in the restorative treatment process. Our vision has been to build digital tools and workflow processes that adapt to the needs and services of the laboratory rather than building tools and processes that are disruptive to our customers’ internal workflow processes.
IDT: One major concern among laboratory owners is that the digital workflow process requires investment into multiple proprietary and/or “selectively open” technologies and systems? How has Straumann solved this crucial problem?
GD: After talking with our customers and studying the market research, it became clear that laboratory owners want a choice when it comes to accessing digital restorative processes together with the insurance to get back high quality prosthetic frameworks. We then set out to provide them with the best of both worlds. Through strategic manufacturing partnerships and considerable investment in new software development and hardware improvements, we recently launched our CARES® System 7.0 software, which offers laboratory owners full flexibility and access to constant high quality frameworks in a single system. They can access the Straumann® validated workflow for a wide variety of restorative processes through the Straumann centralized milling center or, with a click of the mouse, enter external workflow processes through open STL files to send data to the milling center of their choice. The vision that guided our business decision was to provide the industry with a single piece of equipment that is turned on in the morning and is the workhorse for all the cases processed that day—whether the client’s prescription calls for a custom implant abutment in zirconia or titanium or milled titanium bar, inlay, onlay, zirconia framework, veneer, IPS e.max® CAD crown, or laser-sintered precious metal framework. In addition, we are the first company to offer 3M™ ESPE’s new Lava™ Ultimate full-contour restorations through our Straumann centralized milling center.
IDT: Earlier you mentioned the interdisciplinary care approach Straumann has taken in developing its digital dentistry portfolio. For implant cases, how does this new software and Straumann’s network of digital tools position the laboratory as a central member of the implant team?
GD: We wanted to build an efficient digital workflow process that streamlines conventional implant procedures for the restorative dentist, surgeon, and technician. Not only will these efficiencies save all implant team members time and free them to concentrate on the most important steps in the process, but we also believe the digital workflow process will result in more reasonable costs for the patient. Our strategic partnership with Align iTero™ is the first step in the digital workflow process. Digital impression data is transmitted to the laboratory for model production via one of the iTero milling centers and simultaneously to the Straumann® CARES® Visual software for in-house abutment design. The design data is then transmitted to the Straumann milling center.
For guided-surgery cases, we support the laboratory via in-lab creation of the guided-surgery drilling template through the 3D positioning of the implants defined in the coDiagnostiX™ software, which the surgeon uses to plan the case. In the near future, we will link the prosthetic design software platform with the guided-surgery treatment-planning platform so that the implant team can view the exact same thing, which will allow the laboratory to act as a leading advisor during all phases of treatment.
IDT: Drawing in all members of a team to a centralized workflow places incredible responsibility on the company. How do you deal with that in terms of support?
GD: Many of our products carry a limited warranty and are delivered with stickers indicating the origin of manufacture as well as material content for track and trace capability. We also have invested heavily in educating existing and new customers through our training center in Andover, Massachusetts, university-based programs, and training sessions throughout the United States and Europe. We have established a dedicated staff of qualified CDTs for real-time technical support. Our trademark is reliability, from product development, research, and testing through point of sale and support.
Guillaume Daniellot is the head of lab-prosthetic business units for Straumann.
