Focusing on either a chairside workflow or clinic-to-laboratory workflow, the full-day event covered a range of Dentsply Sirona products. Each workflow has its own distinct advantages, and ultimately, the choice depends on the particular benefits that users, whether dentists or laboratories, see as more advantageous.

With the ability to visualise a patient’s anatomical structures being essential for ensuring the best outcome of any procedure, the Orthophos and Galileos 3-D radiographic devices provide high-quality images at the lowest radiation dose possible. In place of taking a physical impression, intra-oral scanning with Dentsply Sirona’s CEREC Omnicam scanner yields information about the patient’s dentition and soft tissue. When the CBCT and intra-oral scans are used in conjunction for case planning, the position of the implant can then be based on a restoratively driven crown-down approach for optimal function and aesthetics.

At the surgery stage, a drilling guide can be produced chairside by the CEREC system (CEREC Guide 2) or by ordering a patient-specific surgical guide from SICAT directly via the Galileos Implant software. At SICAT, the implant case is checked and a high-quality guide is then produced. Another clinic-to-laboratory possibility is ordering a patient-specific Simplant guide through mySimplant Planning Service. With these options, dentists can choose the surgical guide depending on the surgical technique being applied.

After drilling, the chairside workflow enables the clinician to design a restoration in-house. This is then milled in the CEREC MC XL milling unit and sintered and glazed using the CEREC SpeedFire. The CEREC MC XL enables the placing of customised abutments or screw-retained crowns in a single visit. In the clinic-to-laboratory workflow, the digital file from the intra-oral scan is sent to a dental laboratory via Sirona Connect. Alternatively, the order can be initiated automatically in Atlantis WebOrder, also via Sirona Connect. The design of the patient-specific abutment is then created and can be viewed and edited by the dental technician before final approval.

Dentsply Sirona believes that a digital workflow, be it chairside or clinic-to-laboratory, improves the predictability of a treatment by helping to reveal all possible variables, as well as the precision of placing the implant and the efficiency of the overall process. The company also stated that the digital workflow helps patients to be more active participants in their own treatment.

The company announced that additional news and future developments, with a range of products, will be released at the Dentsply Sirona World 2018 meeting in Orlando in Florida in the US from 13 to 15 September. Dental professionals can find more information about and register for the event here.

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