CAD/CAM - international magazine of digital dentistry

18 I I CE article _ CAD/CAM standards mats (.stl), providing additional options for utiliz- ing a variety of digital services from laboratories and services through the E4D Sky network. Not only can it match the esthetics, strength and durability of traditional indirect restorative methods, but CAD/CAM technology can also pro- vide a significant and immediate financial advan- tage over traditional impression-based dentistry. It allows a dentist to produce and deliver restora- tions in one visit. It reduces overhead by eliminating external fabrication fees and it reduces material costs as- sociated with impressions and provisionalization as well reducing chairtime. _Scheduling same-day dentistry Every patient visit costs a practice time and money. Each time a patient is seated we use per- ishable goods, expend valuable chairtime, utilize staff time and must track and manage scheduling. The average crown delivery visit requires 30 min- utes of chairtime and costs a practice more than $50 in overhead expense. It is critical to maximize the efficiency with which you provide dentistry in order to remain profitable, and one visit is more efficient than two. The economics of single-visit vs. multiple-visit indirect restorative dentistry is obvious and im- pactful. In addition to an increase in total profit and hourlyproductivity,thedentisthas30–45minutes ofadditionaldowntimetoproducemoredentistry, provide hygiene exams and perform administra- tive duties. Beyond the financial return on investment are the intangible and immeasurable benefits that same-day dentistry provides. If a patient does not need a temporary, he or she is certainly less likely tocallyouovertheweekendtohavethetemporary re-cemented. If a second visit is not necessary to insert a restoration, then the potential of cancelling, changing or not showing for the appointment is eliminated. This reduces stress and opens up valuable time in your schedule to produce more dentistry profitably. _Marketing same-day dentistry Whenever I am speaking with dentists or team members about practice management and in- creasing production, marketing strategies invari- ably become a topic of discussion. I usually sug- gest that the best marketing techniques focus on addressing the concerns that our patients have regarding dentistry. Fig. 5_Teeth #13 and #14 pretreatment. Fig. 6_Post-treatment (CAD/CAM IPS e.max Crowns). CAD/CAM 3_2013 The economics of single-visit vs. multiple-visit indirect restorative dentistry Crowns #13, #14 Traditional Restorative CAD/CAM Treatment Treatment Visits (time) 150 min 135 min Lab cost $ 250 $ 0 Materials cost $ 100 $ 80 Staff cost $ 40 $ 50 Average PPO fee $ 1,722 ($861 each) $ 1,722 ($861 each) Production per hour (fee/time) $ 688.80 $765 Total profit (fee minus cost) $ 1,372 $1,592 Down time 15 min 45 min* *Duringthisprocedure,KriegerdeliveredthreeIPSEmpressCAD/CAMcrownsandproducedanadditional$565in directrestorativedentistryinhissecondchair.Thetotalofficeproductionforthetwo-hourtimespanwas$2,157. Table 2_The economics of singlevisit vs. multiple-visit indirect restorative dentistry. Fig. 6Fig. 5