CAD/CAM - international magazine of digital dentistry

I industry news _ Planmeca _Planmeca’s open-interface CAD/CAM solutions introduce, above all, quality, cost efficiency and pre- cision to the daily workflow at dental clinics or labora- tories. Petri Kajander, product manager of Planmeca’s CAD/CAM solutions, explains the revolutionary fea- turesofthesenewproductsinthisarticle. _State-of-the-art solutions for dentists: Superfast Planmeca PlanScan ThenewPlanmecaPlanScanisadigitalandpowder- free intra-oral scanner that scans the patient’s denti- tionquicklyandaccurately.Thescannerproducesreal- time digital impressions from one-tooth to full arch scans.ThankstotheopenSTLdata,thescannedfilescan be sent to any dental laboratory for design work. This is the world’s first dental unit-integrated intra-oral scannerthatcanalsobeconnectedtoalaptop. “The scanner has only one cable, so it is extremely easy to move from one place to another, for example between different treatment rooms or clinics,” said Kajander. “In addition, the scanner is delivered with a laptop, so the device can be flexibly shared between different users. In other words, Planmeca PlanScan offers value for your investment: it is not a device for justonedentistbutcanbeusedbytheentireclinic.” The scanner uses the blue-laser technique. It proj- ects a pattern on the surface of the teeth and then analyses it from different directions to calculate dis- tances.Inthisway,thedeviceisabletocalculateamodel that is extremely accurate. “You can view the result as a real-time video image. The video recording and the dentalsurfaceidentificationalgorithmmakethedevice extremely flexible to use. Thanks to these features, you can pause the scanning at any time and continue later onatanypointfromwheredataisalreadyavailable.” The scanner includes a range of exchangeable tips invarioussizes,thesmallestofwhichfacilitatesaccess to the posterior areas, particularly in small children and trauma patients. The tips can be autoclaved for efficient infection control. In addition, the scanner is extremelydurable,sinceithasnointernalmovingparts other than a fan that removes warm air. “Thus, the device stays calibrated and is not subject to mechan- icalwear,”explainedKajander. _Planmeca PlanCAD Easy, an efficient design tool for prostheses Planmeca also offers dentists a new kind of open software solution for 3-D design. Planmeca PlanCAD Easy is seamlessly integrated into Planmeca Romexis software, and it is a user-friendly design tool for the designofinlays,onlays,veneers,crownsandbridges. “The software runs on a floating licence basis. This means that it is not tied to just one computer or work- station,buttheworkissavedonthePlanmecaRomexis server. In this way, the scanning station can be used only for scanning, while another workstation is used for the actual design work. This is a truly unique fea- ture, which allows work to be continued straight away on another computer, while the scanner is freed for moreproductiveoperation,”saidKajander. Everydentistwhodesignshisorherownprostheses willalsofacecasesthatrequireassistancefromadental laboratory. For this reason, Planmeca’s system utilises an open STL file format that allows the work to be sent immediately to a partner via the Planmeca Romexis Cloudservice. Since Planmeca PlanCAD Easy is integrated into PlanmecaRomexissoftware,soft-tissuescanscanalso be conveniently paired with CBCT scans of the patient. This combined data provides valuable information for implant planning, for example, because it visualises the soft tissue and the crown that is designed for the occlusion. This facilitates the planning of the implant screw’slocation. The Planmeca PlanCAD Easy workflow, from prep- aration to the finished result, includes just five easy stages: work description, scanning, marking of the margin line, automatic design, and sending the work Fig. 1_Petri Kajander, product manager of Planmeca’s CAD/CAM solutions. Fig. 2_Planmeca PlanScan. Fig. 3_Planmeca PlanCAD Easy. 36 I CAD/CAM 2_2014 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Planmeca makes CAD/CAM easier than ever Fig. 1 CAD0214_36-37_Planmeca 13.05.14 11:22 Seite 1