Page 41 - Dental Practice South Asia 18-6

BEINg both a dentist and a lab technician has Most common errors we see
always encouraged me to find solutions for the Case Evaluation: selection of inappropriate
most common problems we face between the clin- restorative material/ restoration type for the pre-
ics and the labs. Unfortunately the readiness of the senting situation
co-dentists/ technicians to implement the same in
their practice and review the suggestion to impro- Communication: Incomplete lab slip/
vise and change is still lacking. instructions
With the growing knowledge among the com-
mon population it is wise to grow and change the Model/ Impression: Impression distortion/ dou-
standards of our practice from conventional to ble impression; Air bubbles/ excess material on
digital where ever necessary. Rather than making occlusals in models and Margins not recorded
the clinics look sophisticated it is now time to properly
invest on equipment that will help increase the
DR. SENTHAMIL SINDHU standards of practice both in clinics and labs. A Preparation: No 360 degree margins; Bulky abut-
simple example is an intra oral scanner which ments due to insufficient preparation; Un-favor-
eliminates the need for intensive manual proce- able undercuts in and around the margin or cervi-
dures for impression making and will improvise cal areas
the way we prepare and finish our abutments for
restoration and make any necessary changes in the Bite Registration: Distorted wax bite, no bite,
same appointment. Most importantly when a bite improper bite registration
goes wrong everything goes wrong; we all know
how easy it is to take a bite with an intra oral scan-
ner and send it without any distortion. that’s a Dr. senthamil sindhu, BDs, MsC CAD CAM
complete higher level practice isn’t it? DENtIstRY. In-Lab Dentist and technical
It is time for a change. Advisor, itouch Dental Lab- Chennai.

Post pandemic, routine dentistry has witnessed a pricing. they are unwilling to pay for high tech
massive metamorphosis. With the advent of lab support but want to reap the complete bene-
Digital scanners and their rapid influx into inde- fits.
pendent practices – there is a paradigm shift seen • this percolates further and Clinicians often
with the workflow. end up bargaining for the services and support
By just a click of a button, a Digital scan rendered comparing high end labs to other sub-
enables clinicians to verify the accuracy of their standard labs who often settle for sub-standard
digital impressions as it can be immediately materials thereby providing sub-standard output
shared with the lab. But the big question here is at a relatively lower price.
how many of them actually utilise this feature to • As a lab, we too have to invest in capable dig-
their advantage? ital scanners, digital printers, bio-compatible
Not only does it save time involved in logistics model printing liquids, authentic calibration serv-
but also makes the trifecta of interaction between ices, frequent maintenance and education. this
RAHUL KAKODKAR the lab, clinic and the patient easier. too comes at a cost which at times is not appreci-
However here is some food for thought: ated by the clinician.
• All scanners don’t have the same level of accu- • the digital scans too have factors which can
racy and output. thorough research is a must lead to errors and by no means is it a fool proof
before making an investment of this stature. As of solution to conventional analogue impressions.
now, scanners are being recommended right, left Isolation, retraction, existing prosthesis, bite etc.
and centre - blindly without actually understand- are key factors which are ignored many times
ing the requirement. “scanners don’t give drags” leading to a compromised output.
is what is being claimed as if it’s a magic wand. It • Digital Dentistry doesn’t rule out the need for
is certainly not the truth! Continuing Dental Education as it is also an
• the basics like operations of a digital scanner important tool in the arsenal of a dentist which
is not really understood by many clinicians needs to be updated from time to time.
• Like lab scanners – Intraoral scanners also so these are a few suggestions on how we can
need to be updated via software support which iron out the niggles and come together for a bet-
makes it essential to gain the entire information ter and greater outcome which ultimately leads to
on the know-how of updates and frequent cali- a common goal of a satisfied patient.
bration before making such a investment.
• the Clinicians are ready to hop onto the Rahul Kakodkar CDt is the Director at
bandwagon of Digital Dentistry but there is Precision Dental studio, Mumbai. He is the
always an ambiguity when it comes to the Lab Editor of Dental technology publication.

Dental Practice // November-December 2022 // Vol 18 No 6 41