Dentaltown September 2017 - 18

professional courtesy
column

Competition Conundrum
In the December 2012 issue of Dentaltown, my
column "In Pursuit of CAD/CAM Harmony" outlined
my wish to see a single-file format, STL, as the standard
output from every intraoral scanner. Nearly five years
later, that wish became a reality for Cerec owners who
were using software version 4.5. Other platforms had
been providing STL files for a much longer time, but
when the platform that sells the most units makes a
change, it's big news.
The explosion of milling units and 3-D printers
on display at this year's International Dental Show
in Cologne, Germany, is another opportunity for me
to drive home my point: To facilitate efficient digital
workflows, these multiple platforms need to recognize
a common set of 3-D data.

I think dentists understand and
applaud the need for competition
in the marketplace, which drives
innovation and helps control costs.
Another development in the evolution of digital
dentistry is the addition of Henry Schein as a distributor
of Cerec technology in the United States. For years,
Patterson Dental had exclusive distribution rights and
was instrumental in getting Cerec into thousands of
offices throughout the country. The recent change isn't a
surprise, but it does underscore the growing competition
in this category and the need for Cerec to be available
alongside Henry Schein's other offerings.
This undoubtedly will affect Patterson Dental
financially in the near term as some
new Cerec equipment and blocks for
milling units are sold through Henry
Schein. (This also makes the rumor

of Amazon's partnership with Patterson come to life for
some, but there hasn't been any movement on this topic
since it was first reported almost a year ago. If you'd
like to keep that thought alive, consider that Amazon
is purchasing Whole Foods to make a rapid move into
the grocery business. But I digress.)
The most recent development in the evolution of
this competitive category is reflected in a letter that
Ivoclar Vivadent sent to its Cerec customers over the
summer. The opening: "On June 16, Dentsply Sirona
notified us that after 11 years we were no longer welcome
to participate in Dentsply Sirona World 2017 because
of the introduction of our PrograMill One chairside
milling machine." A Dentsply Sirona press release from
September 2016 had listed Ivoclar as a Diamond Level
sponsor for the upcoming meeting, but the chairside
milling unit was released at IDS this March. The irony of
this: The release of the Ivoclar unit was likely influenced
by the marriage of Dentsply and Sirona.
It certainly makes sense that Dentsply Sirona wouldn't
want to host a competing product at its own event,
designed to celebrate the Cerec universe of equipment,
materials and partner companies. (Major trade shows,
meanwhile, will always be places where all competitors
can share space in the same exhibit hall.)
I think dentists understand and applaud the need
for competition in the marketplace, which drives
innovation and helps control costs. We also place a
high value on compatibility because we are challenged
to incorporate more technology into our practices, so
it needs to interact seamlessly or we'll suffer from too
many disparate elements (and be cursed as the "human
bridge" for these technologies).
As always, you're welcome to send your thoughts
and feedback to me: via email at tom@dentaltown.com,
by commenting on this article online, or by finding me
on Twitter: @ddsTom. ■

What other trends emerged at IDS?
Dr. Thomas Giacobbi hit the exhibit hall at the International Dental Show
in Cologne six months ago to see what lies ahead for the dental industry.
To check out his video report, visit dentaltown.com/ids-news.

by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, editorial director, Dentaltown magazine

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SEPTEMBER 2017 // dentaltown.com
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown September 2017
