industry SHOW REVIEW Heron IOS: A solid entry into the intraoral scanner market An interview with 3DISC CEO Sigrid Smitt Goldman (cid:132) At the recent International Dental Show (IDS), global dental imaging technology specialist 3DISC launched Heron IOS, its new intraoral 3-D scan- ner designed for taking digital im- pressions. At the company’s booth at the trade fair, today international met with Sigrid Smitt Goldman, CEO and Executive Chairman of 3DISC Ameri- cas, to learn more about the device and the importance of digital technol- ogy in the dental practice. Ms Smitt Goldman, what are the main features of the new intraoral 3-D scanner? The Heron IOS is a solid entry into the intraoral scanner market for 3DISC. It is a device that was really created for dentists rather than the laboratory and therefore has some unique features. The first one is weight: at only 183 g, it is a very lightweight device, making it much easier to hold and handle. Many competing products are significantly heavier, around 600–700 g. Another important aspect for us was the ergonomics. Dentists have to perform many tasks one-handed, so any device needs to be operable with one hand. In contrast to other scan- ners, the tip of the Heron IOS is rotat- able, allowing scanning of the upper and lower jaws, as well as the sides, without having to rotate the whole device, with the best possible ergo- nomic grip. © Claudia Duschek It is also very fast, allowing the dentist to perform a full-arch scan in less than 5 minutes. Intraoral scanners have been around for some time. However, not many dentists seem to have adopted this technology in their daily practice. Why is that in your opinion, and is this situation going to change in the near future? You are right; we are currently still at a very low adoption rate of about less than 10 per cent world- wide. However, I think this is a tech- nology that is coming out of its in- fancy and is getting to a level at which it is reliable and exact enough to be a genuinely useful tool. The pioneers of this technology have done a great job in introducing it to the market, but it has still been too difficult to use, impression taking took too long, a great deal of post-work was required, and it was often not af- fordable or profitable for the dentist. Therefore, our main aim is to edu- cate dental professionals and con- vince them of the benefits this tech- nology holds in contrast to conven- tional analogue impressions that den- tists have been taking for many years. It has reached a great level of reliabil- ity and can be a time-saver for the user and increase patient comfort. I am convinced that, in the near future, the whole digital workflow will be a major selling point for dentists. By combining the scanner with other dig- ital items, they could offer restorative work in one day—something that pa- tients will start looking for and prefer. How has the scanner been received by IDS visitors, and when will it be available? We have received great feedback from the visitors at the show. Ship- ping of the Heron IOS will start in the fourth quarter of this year. More in- formation can be found on our web- site, www.3disc.com. (cid:26) Align Technology announces agreement with Zfx ZEISS dental microscope introduces breakthrough augmented visualisation (cid:132) Align Technology has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Zfx in order to expand its restor- ative and laboratory network for iTero Element intraoral scanners in major European, Asian and African countries. The collaboration will give dental professionals. In all Zfx-sup- ported regions, iTero scanners will be used via an open-architecture ap- proach with systems that enable us- ers to take advantage of the Zfx pre- ferred digital milling and laboratory services. practitioners and dental laboratories easy access to iTero intraoral scans, improving the restorative digital workflow and enabling them to pro- duce high-quality dental prostheses. non-exclusive agreement, digital prosthetic solu- tions specialist Zfx will serve as a sales agent for iTero Element intra- oral scanners within its network of laboratories, milling centers and Through the Only recently, Align Technology announced that the 1 millionth scan had been submitted using the iTero Element scanner since its introduc- tion in 2015. interested Customers in the iTero Element scanner may contact their Zfx agent or can request a demonstration from Align Technol- ogy via the contact page at www. itero.com. (cid:26) (cid:132) At this year’s IDS, ZEISS is pre- senting EXTARO 300, which is poised to revolutionise and differen- tiate dental practices with aug- mented visualisation, digital patient communication and single-handed operation. The dental microscope supports dentists in restorative den- tistry, endodontics and all fields of dental surgery to achieve the high- est level of performance and re- sults—both functionally and aesthet- ically. Augmented visualisation The Fluorescence Mode in ZEISS EXTARO 300 supports efficient re- pair of caries-affected fillings1 and is designed to distinguish between nat- ural hard tooth tissue and the most commonly used dental composite resins. This clear visual differentia- tion will help target the affected area quickly, saving valuable chair time during removal of carious tissue. Dr Marko Jakovac, Associate Professor at the School of Dental Medicine of the University of Zagreb, reported: “For removal of old restorations, the autofluores- cence functionality of ZEISS helps me to locate the decay as quickly as possible and to avoid removal of healthy tooth substance.” The TrueLight Mode provides sufficient time to finish complex modelling tasks by preventing the premature curing of composites2 un- der the microscope. Unlike with or- ange filters, the new optimised co- lour balance still allows the clinician to identify the relevant dental tissue. Single-handed operation All capture and visual modes can be activated at the push of a button, and dentists can adjust the unprecedented focal length of 200–430 mm with only one finger. Digital patient communication The ZEISS Connect App enables dental practitioners to inform pa- tients about both treatment needs and accomplished results. The digi- tal workflow facilitates clinical case documentation and is conveniently integrated into the digital office. Making ZEISS EXTARO 300 part of the dental practice not only helps improve comfort, but also makes treatment more efficient. (cid:26) 1 Fluorescence Mode for caries detection is not available for sale in the US, requires 510(k) clear- ance by the FDA and may be subject to change. Not for sale in every market. 2 See user manual. 37th International Dental Show 2017 31