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ePaper created 2015-03-06, 14:42:46 | version 1.33.01
technology,impression-takinginstrumentsnolonger need to be run through a wash cycle and sterilized. This saves time, energy and water. While it seems like saving resources, particularly water, isn’t possible in dental practices, small steps suchasthesereallyaddup.TheEco-DentistryAsso- ciation(EDA)(www.ecodentistry.org)estimatesthat dental practices use 360 gallons of water per day. This totals 57,000 gallons of water per year, per practice. In the United States alone, dental practice water usage totals approximately 9 billion gallons of water per year. This does not even include dental laboratories, which must use substantial amounts of water when mixing and pouring models in stone and cleaning their equipment. In addition to the above in-office water issues, along with laboratories and their respective pro- cedures that will always require water, these stag- gering statistics spell out the clear need for water conservation whenever possible, and in-office CAD/CAM supports this effort. _Greener materials: Using all ceramics instead of amalgam Amalgam restorations had been the standard of care in restorative dentistry for decades. With material science advancements, however, there are new contenders for that title. In particular, the use of all-ceramic materials has significantly in- creased in recent years, and when coupled with in-office CAD/CAM systems, their advantages are economical and ecological, in addition to aesthetic, biocompatible and functional. The majority of the materials for same day CAD/CAM dental procedures are generally com- posite or all-ceramic blocks, so there is no metal involved. These metal-free restorations can often beusedwithoutreservationforvariousindications, including single-unit restorations, inlays and on- lays.1 While the benefits of these materials have been expounded upon (e.g., aesthetics, ease of use, wear, optical properties.), they provide tangible environmental benefits as well. For example, the longevity of all-ceramic re- storations such as in-office CAD/CAM designed inlays is well documented.2 In addition to a highly aesthetic restoration, patients receive restorations that will last for many years, without the concerns associated with amalgam, such as cracks, failures or potential mercury toxicity. This potentially saves patients and clinicians time, money and wasted resources that would be spent traveling to and from the dental practice, taking more impressions and fabricating new restorations. Perhaps of greater consequence is removing toxic metal from this equation. All-ceramic and metal-free restorations mean that dental practices no longer have to worry about amalgam disposal and its accompanying mercury toxicity. TheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)esti- matesthatnearly50percentofallmercuryentering local wastewater treatment facilities originates in dental offices. Using CAD/CAM compatible materials such as all-ceramics lessens or eliminates the contribution 52 I I opinion _ ecological advantages of CAD/CAM An average dental practice uses 360 gallons of water per day. Think how much you can save by getting rid of extra washing cycles. CAD/CAM 1_2015 CAD0115_50-53_Strom 02.03.15 13:18 Seite 3 CAD0115_50-53_Strom 02.03.1513:18 Seite 3