Page 42 - Dental Practice South Asia 18-6

management section

CLINICIAN RESPONSE

We as dental clinicians are going through a so some suggestions for clinicians
huge digital evolution with the intra oral scan- • before deciding upon a scanner communicate with your lab and
ner now finding its way into every clinical see what are they using and what are their expectations from your IOs.
practice. • take into consideration all that information and make your pur-
I believe that this digital era necessitates chase of the scanner which fits the bill.
that the dental labs and clinicians work much suggestions for labs
more in sync than they ever have before. • Just mentioning that now we provide digital dentistry doesn’t give
the need for lab communication is much any information - create an awareness message / form / WhatsApp info
higher now as both are new to this technology making the clinicians/ your clients aware of the whole process so that
and will need to figure out the best way for- they too fully understand and work accordingly.
DR SACHIN DEEP ward. Its true that from clinicians point of view • Create a digital lab communication for every scan just like we have
SINGH
the IOs is a magic wand and they think that analogue lab forms.
now they should get the outcome faster and • Make the clinicians aware of the limitations in terms of accuracy,
cheaper; Also most of the clinicians are getting into this without any materials etc.
knowledge of the post scan processing and protocols. • share the pictures related to the IOs, margins acquisition etc as
the labs who have adopted newer technology have not done much now its very easy to do so immediately via messaging apps. this will
in creating awareness. I think once the lab has figured out their lead to better lab - clinician communication, in the end benefitting
requirement from the clinician, they should communicate with their both the parties and of course the patient.
clients. A basic form explaining what they expect from the IOs done in
the clinic will go a long way in helping the clinician decide upon the Dr sachin Deep singh currently runs courses on dental implants
right scanner and also lead to better and hassle free productivity. and full mouth rehabilitation at Four Dimensions Dental, Gurgaon.
Clinicians start learning all this when we send our first scan and then He maintains a private practice in New Delhi focusing on
the confusion starts. Implantology and Aesthetic Dentistry.

Webster Dictionary describes communi- clinical studies caution that intraoral scanners are vulnerable to inac-
cation as “a process by which information is curacies, especially in long-span scanning applications.
exchanged between individuals through a For IOs the camera will capture what is visible intra orally, so
common system of symbols, signs or basics of tooth isolation and area haemostasis should be adhered to
behaviour.” for the best results. Going digital doesn’t simply mean “owning and
Any relationship can get sore due to using a scanner.” rather, it involves adopting new workflows, and
incomplete, or lack of proper communica- this requires a commitment from the dentist, as well as the entire
tion and the Dentist-Lab tech relationship is team, in order to obtain a level of mastery that, in turn, creates con-
more demanding! sistency, reliability, and clinical accuracy.
the collaborative expectations from den- As a sound clinician one should make sure that the impressions
DR ASHISH KAKAR tal lab can only be fulfilled once the techni- are accurate, the jaw relations are perfect and enough clearance is
cian has a complete knowledge of the case given for the strength of the prosthesis. these are the most common
being sent-ranging from tooth contours, challenges faced by our labs.
shade, margins and the material of choice. I also feel that newer materials from various manufacturers are
A clear prescription should include tooth shape, size, and position being introduced in the field of lab prosthesis. A PeeK may not be as
within the dental arch; occlusal relationship; emergence profile; strong as another from a different company and the same holds true
interproximal contacts; and incisal edge position. the lab technician for Zirconia and Lithuim Disilicate. branded standard materials will
has to work with virtual or real patient models whereas the Dentist give us all the best predictability. Very often it is seen that labs offer
has this advantage of being with the patient. Articulators and mod- cheaper substitutes which may not be as durable.
els do not give the technician a true clinical picture and so many For case discussions, dentists and their lab teams can collaborate
times the blame game begins! the aesthetic outcome is dependent with widely used virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom. Labs
on communicating color (chroma, hue, and value), translucency, should be an integral part of all Dental conferences and courses so
and surface texture that everyone is on the same platform and the overall communica-
this can however be easily sorted out with present day technolo- tion improves.
gy and fast data transfer including intra and extra oral photos from
various angles. Dr. (Prof.) Ashish Kakar is Post Graduate, Masters in
Intra Oral scanners have been a great boost in the past few years Prosthodontics, eastman College of Dentistry, London, england;
from a Clinic-Lab communication point of view but presently, Graduate specialty Certificate in Prosthetic Dentistry, UMDNJ,
worldwide the hybrid approach seems to be working the best. Many New Jersey, UsA; runs a private practice in Delhi for over 30 years.

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