The nature of collaboration between dentists and dental labs

Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Thu. 12. May 2022

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BERLIN, Germany: Amann Girrbach supports dental laboratories in their organisation of digital workflows, and the company’s We Are One Tour through Germany has outlined new possibilities for digitalisation and interdisciplinary collaboration between dentists and dental technicians. Dental Tribune International (DTI) attended the first event of the tour, which took place at a golf club on the western outskirts of the German capital. Those in attendance were treated to live product demonstrations and presentations on some of the most innovative topics in the dental industry.

More than 100 dentists and dental technicians from Berlin and the surrounding areas attended the kick-off event on 6 May, and it began with the official opening of a new dental laboratory training and education centre housed on the upper floor of a scenic golf club. The ribbon was cut by company representatives, including Yannick Bogner, Amann Girrbach’s business manager for Germany and Austria, and Christian Kirsche, sales manager for the eastern region. Attendees were then offered personal demonstrations of the very latest dental technologies from Amann Girrbach, such as the Ceramill Direct Restoration Solution (DRS), which offers an integrated digital workflow to the dentist and closes the existing communication gap between dental clinics and laboratories. A further highlight was the demonstration of the Ceramill DRS High-Speed Zirconia Kit, which allows users to sinter zirconia restorations in just 20 minutes.

According to Bogner, the aims of the event were to provide customers with a first-hand impression of the new training and education centre and to underscore the company’s goal of connecting dentists and dental technicians. “From dentists to the laboratory and back again—the whole workflow is about connection and efficient and effective collaboration,” Bogner told DTI. Commenting on the AG.Live digital platform, which lies at the core of the workflow, Bogner said: “Amann Girrbach offers one platform for dental restorations, through which we can connect via a simple system that ultimately offers improvements and advantages for dentists, dental technicians and—primarily—for patients.”

“Digital is coming, one way or another” – Christian Lang, Amann Girrbach

The remainder of the event took place in the golf club’s conference facilities, which offer expansive terrace views over the greens, and it was there that attendees were given an in-depth insight into the company’s cooperation with TRI Dental Implants, a Swiss company that has developed the matrix, the world’s first dental implant without an abutment. Sandro Venanzoni, chief technology officer at TRI Dental Implants, explained that the matrix is the first and only dental implant to have been approved for fully digital single- and multi-unit restorations without the use of an abutment. Venanzoni said that dental implants had been largely neglected in the vast technological advancements that have taken place in dentistry in recent decades. He said that there was an “urgent need for implants to catch up to the digital world” and explained how the unique matrix implant connection had been specifically designed for digital manufacturing technologies such as CAD/CAM milling and 3D printing in dental settings.

Further presentations were held by Matthias Mützelburg, laboratory manager at Neodent Zahntechnik in Berlin, by DRS specialist Wibke Rosin, who spoke together with dental technician and key opinion leader Benjamin Votteler about using the DRS system in the dental team, and by Christian Lang, head of training at Amann Girrbach Germany. Lang emphasised the necessity of keeping pace with the constant developments in the dental field. He said that, decades ago, visitors to the International Dental Show in Cologne would not have believed the advancements that are now part of everyday dental practice—such as the fact that most dental clinics and laboratories no longer work with moulds and physical impressions. In the same way, he said, it may be hard for the dental professionals of today to visualise the restorative technologies that will be used a decade from now. “Digital is coming, one way or another,” he emphasised, “and communication between the laboratory and the dental clinic is changing.”

Amann Girrbach’s We Are One Tour will continue to offer dental professionals a glimpse into the future of restorative dentistry when it stops in Hanover on 27 June, and in Neu-Ulm on 29 June. For more information, visit the company’s website.

Amann Girrbach’s We Are One Tour began in Berlin with product demonstrations, lectures, and the official opening of a new dental laboratory training and education centre. Pictured (left to right) is Christoph-Alexander Löck und Petra Löck, managing directors of Dentalbors Enamel and Yannick Bogner and Christian Kirsche of Amann Girrbach. (Image: Amann Girrbach)

Die Deutschlandtour von Amann Girrbach soll das Ziel des Unternehmens unterstreichen, Dentalpraxen und -labore zu vernetzen. © Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Das neue Schulungs- und Ausbildungszentrum für Dentallabore befindet sich in einem Golfclub im Westen Berlins. © Amann Girrbach

In der neuen Berliner Ausbildungsstätte kommt das Ceramill-System zum Einsatz. Zu sehen ist der Artex CR „Blackedition“ Artikulator, sowie der Desktop-Scanner Ceramill Map 600+, die beide mit der Software Ceramill Mind gekoppelt sind. © Amann Girrbach

Ceramill Matik ist eine Full-Service-Einheit, die drei Geräte in einem vereint. © Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Christian Kirsche, Vertriebsleiter Region Ost bei Amann Girrbach, demonstrierte den Workflow mit Ceramill Matik. © Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Cornelia Reinhold, Produktspezialistin bei Amann Girrbach, erläuterte das Ceramill DRS-System. © Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

An der Auftaktveranstaltung am 6. Mai nahmen Zahnärztinnen und Zahnärzte sowie Zahntechnikerinnen und Zahntechniker aus Berlin und Umgebung teil. © Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

DRS-Expertin Wibke Rosin und Zahntechnikermeister Benjamin Votteler sprachen über den Einsatz des DRS-Systems in der zahnärztlichen Praxis. © Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Zahntechnikermeister Christian Lang, Ausbildungsleiter bei Amann Girrbach Deutschland. © Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Sandro Venanzoni, Chief Technology Officer bei TRI Dental Implants, erklärt das matrix-System – das erste und einzige Implantat, das für vollständig digitale ein- und mehrgliedrige Restaurationen ohne Verwendung eines Abutments zugelassen wurde. © Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Auf der Tour von Amann Girrbach werden den Teilnehmenden neue Möglichkeiten der Digitalisierung und der interdisziplinären Zusammenarbeit aufgezeigt. © Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International