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Nobel Biocare Global Symposium 8 science & research Why NobelProcera CAD/CAM bars? For the sake of quality, function, esthetics and good business by Michael Stuart, Nobel Biocare n Certified dental technician Thomas Wade is the owner of New Horizons Dental Labora- tory on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, U.S. According to him, the quality and effi- ciency gains that result from outsourcing the production of bars to NobelProcera is re- warding for everyone involved. Wade has chosen NobelProcera technol- ogy as his exclusive provider of CAD/CAM- milled titanium bars for two main reasons: “First of all,” explained Wade, “the Nobel- Procera software allows us to access and provide a wide variety of solutions entailing many different types and styles of bars, cus- tomization features, and attachments—all in order to better address the patient’s individ- ual needs.” Secondly, it is Wade’s view that this tech- nology puts design control in the proper hands. “A bar is best designed by a skilled technician with experience in intra-oral biomechanics,” he stated simply. He went on to explain that, since the bar is only one of several compo- nents in a successful restoration, the bar de- signer must fully understand how the bar will support the other components, such as denture teeth and the PMMA base, in order to provide long-lasting function and esthetics. Wade cited other reasons for using NobelProcera CAD/CAM bars. Broad and comprehensive technical support is high on his list, as is the state-of-the-art design soft- ware that keeps him competitive as he works at the technological cutting edge. “Meticulous quality control by Nobel- Procera, especially as it relates to passivity of fit and finish,” Wade added, “all but eliminates remakes,” saving time, effort and money. Clear advantages In order to convince clients to adopt this technology, Wade uses photographs of the bars themselves and of the finished cases both in his brochure and on his website. “In the early days, I actually took the first few bars I did around to key clients to show them the accuracy and beauty of these bars first hand,” he explained. “Today, I not only show the bars, but also use screenshots taken from the design, including the all-im- portant 2-D cross-section to help highlight the purposeful and deliberate choices I have made in the design process.” Wade believes that the combination of design screenshots and final product photo- graphs create a powerful statement about the quality of the engineering and biome- chanics. “Demonstrated quality serves as a strong marketing tool,” he said. “Also, at a time when most bar cases have been oversimpli- fied to a one-size-fits-all treatment plan of full wrap design, I have made my clients aware that we can offer a multitude of design styles to better, more effectively treat a patient’s specific intra-oral needs.” NobelClinician facilitates teamwork Especially in cases involving edentulous or nearly edentulous arches, clinicians who use NobelClinician treatment planning soft- ware become natural collaborators for a lab- oratory like New Horizons. “Digital planning—which identifies any obstacles, defines the parameters for any ne- cessary bone augmentation or reduction, and indicates strategic placement of the implants— is the key to overall prosthetic success,” Wade asserted. “What the implant surgeon does, or does not do, on the day of surgery sets the tone for the overall success of the case moving forward, but make no mistake, even though implant placement is a surgical procedure, it is prosthetically driven.” According to Wade, NobelClinician soft- ware makes it possible to bridge the gap be- tween the surgeon and the restorative team, and encourages collaboration and communi- cation between the two. “Success used to be measured simply by the percentage of surviving, well-osseointe- grated implants. Today, success needs to be redefined to take good restorative planning and strategic implant placement into ac- count. To serve the patient well, we want to be able to fabricate a prosthesis that will work well, look good and prove durable. Planning with NobelClinician is the best op- tion available to achieve this.” According to Wade, both the process and end result are always superior—with im- proved predictability, repeatability, enjoy- ment and profitability—when working with dentists who use NobelClinician. “It also pre- vents stress and heartache, and saves us all time!” he emphasized. Having NobelClinician software running at his laboratory has become a major boon to his business, by vastly increasing his stature as a valued team member, according to Wade. “I do not plan cases for the clinicians, but I do review a wide variety of restorative cri- teria, and verify that the plan will facilitate the fabrication of a highly successful pros- thesis.” Even when the team is geographically separated, “the ability to share a plan be- tween the three corners of the ‘golden trian- gle’ (i.e. the surgeon, the restorative dentist and the laboratory) offers unprecedented opportunities for success.” Using NobelClinician on the front end and NobelProcera bar technology for the final restoration on the back end makes for a powerful combination. Wade concluded: “In short, it is a beauti- ful thing!” 7 Thomas Wade makes a convincing argument that “a bar is best designed by a skilled technician with experience in intra-oral biomechanics.” NOTE: Thomas Wade will be lecturing two ses- sions twice today. His lecture, titled “The All-on-4® treatment concept for an im- mediate temporary bridge,” will take place at 8 a.m. and again at 11 a.m. In addition, he will be presenting a lecture on the topic “Fixed versus fixed-removable prostheses” at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. NobelProcera free form milled and Dolder bar.