Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

Implantology - the perfect art of camouflage thanks to CAD/CAM Robert Michalik discusses implants and CAD/CAM Implant Tribune pages 11-14 Robert Michalik discusses implants and CAD/CAM Perfect art of camouflage Implant Tribune pages 15-18 Georg Bach gives a personal retrospective Important years Implant Tribune pages 19-22 Jean-Nicolas Hasson looks at immediate loading TRIPOD - A new protocol Implant Tribune W hen I graduated from the Faculty for Dental Technicians in War- saw Medical School in 1987, I had no idea that my profession would change so much over the course of the next quarter of a century. At that time, I enthusi- astically welcomed every new innovation, many of which I pioneered the use of in Poland. Looking back today after more than 20 years, I can con- fidently say that dental technol- ogy has undergone a profound technical revolution. After all, nowadays, it is difficult to im- agine a modern dental techni- cian’s laboratory where CAD/ CAM technology remains un- known. My first experience with CAD/CAM was in 2004 when I decided to buy a device from DeguDent. I intentionally use the word ‘device’ here, since it was not what we would today consider a CAD/CAM system based on scanning and virtual modelling. However, I was overwhelmed by the potential this machine offered me at the time. For a brief while, dental technicians and dentists were divided into proponents of and opponents against CAD/CAM. The latter were mainly against the system because of igno- rance and a fear of new tech- nology. I myself used the ma- chine for two years until at last I succumbed to the temptation and bought another technical novelty. I first saw this machine, produced by Wieland, at the International Dental Show in Cologne. The thing that was so innovative about it and such a great advance on previous models was the 3Shape scan- ner that was able to scan the model and transfer data to the CAD software, thereby making it possible to produce a virtual model of the construction. The system was such a breakthrough and the possibili- ties it offered so enormous that in 2006 I began using the 4820 model. The volume of orders that my laboratory handled in- creased dramatically, since in contrast to the DeguDent ma- chine, which could initially cut four-unit and later seven-unit bridges, Wieland’s CAD/CAM system allowed me to cut 14- unit constructions from various types of material (plastic, steel, titanium). Based on my own observa- tions and my many years of experience, I can boldly say that the greatest progress in terms of technology has been achieved by scanners. The newer machines have only in- creased the amount of bone that can be cut and accelerated cutting speed. It is the scanners that have ensured revolution- ary advances in the develop- ment of CAD/CAM. A major role in the devel- opment of scanners has been played by 3Shape, which is cur- rently the undisputed leader in the field. A modern user of CAD/CAM has all he needs to ensure a perfect prosthetic ap- pliance, ie everything from a temporary crown right up to complex implant-supported restorations. Moreover, all the work can be done today in vir- tual articulation, which over- comes the technological prob- lems that traditional methods faced. Patients today require fast and inexpensive therapeu- tic solutions, while ensuring the highest standard of work. CAD/CAM systems help reduce page 12DTà Fig. 1 Initial state Fig. 2 Prepared Maryland bridge Fig. 3 Extraction Fig. 4 Situation after osseointegration