CAD/CAM - international magazine of digital dentistry

16 I I CE article _ CAD/CAM standards _As a full-time general dentist, CAD/CAM technologyisasubjectthathasbeenofsignificant interest to me. I incorporated CAD/CAM into my practice more than 10 years ago and have been a proponent of the technology and its efficiency ever since. I began with CEREC 3, and then graduated to CEREC 3D. After successfully incorporating 3-D technology into my practice, I was excited to see some new faces emerge in the CAD/CAM market- place. E4D, Itero and Lava COS were all options to consider for digital capture, but only the E4D Dentist System and CEREC offered both scan and mill capability in the office. When the time was right for me to upgrade to the newest technology, the E4D Dentist System by D4D Technologies was just a better fit—literally and figuratively. The software, support, training and results were more in line with my practice goals and vision, and I felt more confident in the longevity of the hardware. While both systems can produce high-quality restorations, I felt that I would be better supported in achieving restora- tive success with the E4D Dentist System. I made my decision to switch late in 2010 and have never lookedback.Sincethen,researchanddevelopment in CAD/CAM restorative materials have exploded. We have a wide variety of material options to choose from to meet all of our restorative and aesthetic demands. My peers routinely ask me about how to use technology most effectively to cope with rising costs and lower margins. I often answer by sug- gesting that they incorporate chairside CAD/CAM into their practices. I am confident that chairside CAD/CAMisthefutureofrestorativedentistry,not only from a clinical perspective, but also in terms of profitability and marketing. _Simple economics Overthelastfiveyears,mypracticehasdoubled in revenue. In 2010 it grew 18 per cent while other practices were struggling to break even. It con- sistently produces more than $1 million on a four- day work week, with an average collection rate of 98 per cent. It maintains an overhead of about 55 per cent and normally attracts more than 30 new patients per month. CAD/CAM 3_2013 Fig. 1_Tooth #2 before. Fig. 2_Tooth #12 after (same-day IPS e.max). By reading this article and then taking a short online quiz,you can gainADA CERP CE credits. To take the CE quiz,visit www.dtstudyclub.com.The quiz is free for subscribers,who will be sent an access code.Please writesupport@dtstudyclub.com if you don’t receive it.Non sub- scribers may take the quiz for a $20 fee. _ce credit CAD/CAM Fig. 2Fig. 1 CAD/CAM technology: Setting the standard and achieving success Author_ Dr Matthew Krieger, USA