As an orthodontist, you know that many of your patients are interested and eager to use clear or invisible braces, like Invisalign, in order to downplay the appearance of their braces. After the braces have done their job however, these same image-conscious people might not like the idea of having to wear a metal-banded retainer -- even if just to bed.

Now, you can offer the “Invisible Retainer”-- a thin, clear retainer that helps ensure final retention. Patients who are already used to popping in their Invisalign trays will immediately appreciate the ease of the invisible retainer – and are much more likely to comply with your final dentition retention plan.  

Every individual involved in any athletic activity that involves contact or impact of any kind should be using a dentist-prescribed, heat/pressure-laminated intraoral mouth guard.

Multi-laminated INTACT mouthguards can be customized to accommodate the individual demands of sport, age and level of competition – as well as all orthodontic, mixed dentition, existing clefts, missing teeth and any anatomical and occlusal variations – without interfering with breathing or speech.

Dental injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury sustained during participation in sports. Amateur or professional. School-related or recreational.

It is estimated by the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation(NYSSF) that more than five million teeth will be knocked out in sporting activities each  year. https://www.dentalcare.com/en-us/professional-education/ce-courses/ce127/statistics

We also know that athletes who do not wear mouthguards are 60 times more likely to sustain damage to their teeth. Yet, 67% of parents admitted that their children do not wear a mouthguard during organized sports.

That being said, it makes sense that promoting and providing mouthguard protection is one of the best things you can do for your patients.

ALL MOUTHGUARDS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL.

Over-the-counter brands are not the answer. They fit poorly, perform badly and protect not at all. Speech is inhibited. Bulk and fit prove to be more hazard than help.

For some patients, going to the dentist can feel a lot like visiting the car mechanic. You go in for a simple oil change, and suddenly the mechanic has found a problem you’ve never heard of…and of course, it’s going to cost you.

So a patient goes in for a simple cleaning. The checkup reveals more.  The dentist suggests that they need expensive crowns, a root canal, a bridge, et. al.

It is normal for patients to be skeptical -- even to wonder if their dentist is trying to “up-sell” unnecessary services. A Condor Digital Scanner in your office can help significantly with such situations.

The Condor Digital Scanner sends colored renditions of your in-chair scans right to your tablet.  

The catch? YOU NEED THE RIGHT LAB. If you have a high-tech practice you have to work with a high-tech lab, so if you’re using digital impressions and a model-less workflow, you’ll need to work with an experienced lab that’s on the leading edge of technology.

The idea behind a model-less workflow is to save time…and to demonstrate distinguishable efficiency. That’s less likely to happen if you’re working with a lab that isn’t expert in CAD/CAM technology.

Make no mistake about it. Digital workflow is where the field is headed, making it even more important to find the right high-tech lab with which to partner – a lab that is focused on creating high-quality results and is enthusiastic about technology and what it can achieve.  

A competitive advantage. Whether you’re just interested in digital impressions or want to try a model-less process, your patients are going to notice that your practice is more “high-tech” than the one down the street. They’ll see you’ve invested in your practice and in their care, and that helps put them at ease, while also saving you time and money.

A dental office trying to distinguish itself from the competition demonstrates the benefit and value of advanced scanning technology and the patients appreciate it. They in turn refer other patients to the office. That’s what is know as an “edge.”

Increased patient comfort. Nobody likes to have “goop” in their mouth, and digital impressions eliminate that particular brand of discomfort for the patient. Beyond that, the time needed to prepare for an impression is shorter, as is turnaround time. Bottom Line: the patient is more comfortable with the process. If the model-less process is in play, the patient’s needs are met in a few days…maybe sooner.  

All this translates into greater peace of mind and greater trust in the doctor and clinical team. Patients see and experience the real value.

Better fit, fewer remakes. You don’t have to worry about distortion or margin inaccuracy in digital impressions like you do with traditional impressions. That means a more accurate fit. Problems with the scan  can be viewed right away on-screen. Re-scanning  or (when necessary) adjusting your prep can be made before sending the scan out to a lab.

Fit issues and margin discrepancies are the most common reasons for remakes. Eliminating the potential for these issues significantly cuts down on the time, money and aggravation that accompany remakes.

Better dentist/lab communication. Sending a digital scan to the lab allows the dentist and technician to communicate more directly. If there are any issues with the scan, those issues can be addressed right away—rather than days later.

With digital impressions (unlike traditional ones), if you’re not happy with the scan, it’s easy to re-take or go over an area you might have missed. Viewing a prep on a large screen ensures “seeing” more than you would  with a traditional impression. You can view the scan before you send it, checking for accuracy and ensuring that all the information is solid and on-point.  

Greater efficiency yields higher quality impressions That means fewer questions from the lab -- and less back and forth time.

As a dentist, you have so many technologies to choose from, technologies that are designed to improve patient care while making you more efficient at the same time. The possibilities continue to grow as technology continues to improve.

Incorporating a digital model-free process into your practice is one of those possibilities, and one that can really distinguish dentists and labs from the competition, putting them on the leading edge of dentistry.  

Less turnaround time.  Usually, it takes two weeks for a lab to complete a crown once they receive the impression from the dentist. Working without a model cuts that time dramatically. With traditional impressions, it’s fair to say that 48-72 hours could pass before the lab technician even gets a chance to look at the case.

You don’t have to pick up an impression, disinfect, pour stone, fabricate the model or work manually with a model. No scanning a stone model into design software or producing a CAD model to work on. The scan is received from the doctor, the restoration designed, then milled, polished and  delivered…ready for seating. The process completely cuts out many fabrication steps and allows the restoration to be produced more efficiently.