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CAD/CAM - international magazine of digital dentistry

I 43 special _ digital technologies I CAD/CAM 1_2015 computer aided design (CAD) for crowns, bridges, telescopes, abutments, etc and the pro- grammingofmillingstrategiesfortransforming the CAD design into an end product that is made by subtractive or additive processes. It is advis- able and essential to integrate such require- ments into dental technician training at an early stage. _The rendering of dentistry services is calling for increasinguseofstate-of-the-artdigitalinstru- ments and methods. In future, a dentist will not onlymakeadiagnosisbutchieflyfocusontreat- ment preparation, surgery and the insertion of adentalrestoration(conservativeorprosthetic). The other activities will be replaced by digital work processes. There would probably have not been any change in the value chain that had applied for decades (see Fig. 1) if companies like Sirona had not introduced the first digital technologies to dental practices and dental labs in the 1980s. And even though the concept of the shift in value added was already an integral part of the system, initiallyonlyworkstepsandworkprocessesinthe dental lab were facilitated, speeded up and thus made more efficient in implementation at the beginning of this digital evolution, by using scan- ners and CAD/CAM milling machines. Only in a subsequent step were other market participants included, e.g. milling centres in Germany and abroad or also industrial companies that want to participate in the value added (Figs. 2 & 3). _Digitisation— an opportunity for the dental lab? For a long time now, innovative and market- ing-oriented dental labs have recognised the advantages of digitisation and been benefiting from their timely entry to the world of CAD/CAM. Their wide range of services covers the entire dental technology portfolio with modern, state- of-the-art framework materials and veneering materials. Standard restorations in particular, such as crowns and bridges are made by CAD/ CAM—nowadays that is already state of the art. But what impact have these change processes had in the dental lab? The fact is that there has been a shift in the focuses of activity in in-house production towards more services in the digital Fig. 2_Basic model of market participants in the value adding process, not including digital dental technology. Role of market participants in the value adding process, NOT INCLUDING digital steps taking a precious metal-based crown as an example INDUSTRY DENTIST DENTAL LAB Manufacture and supply of precious metal alloy Diagnosis Preparation Shade taking Impression taking Temporary restoration Plaster model Jaw relation recording (articulator) Modelling: wax sprue Investment Processing: metal framework Veneering/polishing Fig. 2 CAD0115_42-48_Merz 02.03.15 12:57 Seite 2 CAD0115_42-48_Merz 02.03.1512:57 Seite 2

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