Dentaltown March 2013 - (Page 56)

focus on feature by Krista Houstoun, Assistant Editor, Dentaltown Magazine Once a cumbersome practice, CAD/CAM technology in dentistry has improved and refined endlessly since its genesis in the mid-1980s. Coupled with evolving computer technology and software, new developments in dental materials have made the popularity of CAD/CAM soar over the past couple of decades – despite initial hefty financial and training investments. Innovations are a fact of the future, so Dentaltown Magazine reached out to leaders in the CAD/CAM industry to get the scoop on which direction CAD/CAM materials, specifically, are likely to take. 56 MARCH 2013 » dentaltown.com Hi everyone. First and foremost, where are materials headed for CAD/CAM? Adam Busch, Product Manager, Sirona: Historically, conversations of CAD/CAM materials were centered around monochromatic feldspathic blocks on the chairside, and lifeless zirconium oxide frameworks for the labs. This trend held true for almost two decades. Within the past few years we have seen the evolution (or revolution) in materials. Lithium disilicate blocks, translucent zirconium and many others have joined the CAD/CAM community. Each has its own set of features and salient benefits. The future holds a whole new crop of innovative, extraordinary materials, each developed with a unique chemistry and designed for a particular outcome that will answer the requests of the dental community. Take for instance the idea of milled metal in the form of nickel-free cobalt-chrome blocks, which can be sintered and married with full contour materials. This was seen in concept by Sirona at the 2011 IDS meeting in Cologne, Germany. Such advances open the door for the first fully digital PFM fabricated from a simple digital impression from a dentist’s office and transmitted via the Internet to a dental laboratory. The idea of digitizing the PFM process shows where we can cover the spectrum of production with CAD/CAM technology. There is also still work to be done on the implant restorative side, which increasingly becomes a simple chairside process. We can foresee a lot of growth in this arena. All recent developments in CAD/CAM materials move us toward high strength and easy-to-use materials. http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown March 2013

Dentaltown.com Highlights
Howard Speaks: Dentistry Could Come Back with a Vengeance
Professional Courtesy: I’m No Anti-Dentite
Continuing Education Update
Second Opinion: Should Endodontists Place Implants?
Needle Stick Question
Am I the Only One Who Didn’t Know How to Use My Loupes?
The Patient Blames Me for Cracking His Tooth
Corporate Profile: {KöR}
CAD/CAM Materials
Dentaltown Research: Cosmetic Dentistry
Do-it-Yourself Finance, Part IV: Savings and Investing
Product Profile: Centrix
Keep Them Coming Back
You Should Know: Likeable Dentists
Multimodality Endodontics
Endodontics for the Recent Graduate: Instrumentation
Continuing Education Porcelain Veneers: From Case Selection to Cementation
8½ Tips for Dental Safety Checklists
How Prepared Are You For a Medical Emergency?
Dental Stem Cell Preservation and the Dawning of Regenerative Oral Medicine
Product Profile: Ivoclar EvoCerem
Narrow Diameter Implant Overdentures with Locator Attachments
In This Issue: Zeroing in on Xerostomia
Perio Reports
Ad Index
Profile in Oral Health: Substances for Targeting Xerostomia
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown March 2013