Can Your Team Handle Today's Technology?
Can Your Team Handle Today's Technology?
One of the greatest challenges in todayís dental practice is to stay current on the status of the fabrication and science of implant prostheses. The patients we are treating today present with more complex oral situations than we saw just a few years ago. As Chester Douglas pointed out in his report in The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry recently there is a significant increase of the numbers of people that are retaining their teeth longer and will be in need of restorative treatment. This will be true for both the partially and fully edentulous arch.
Overall the production by the dentist has tripled in the last 40 years, due to many factors. Supporting dental technologists have likewise seen an increase in production, primarily due to the incorporation of ìhigh-techî systems into the daily routine of prosthesis fabrication such as CAD/CAM, spark erosion, advances in ceramic restorations, computerized shade matching, etc.
When I graduated from dental school in 1976 my professors said, ìYou should have graduated a few years ago during the golden days, when all we had to do were gold inlays and onlays.î I believe that today we are in the new golden days and to quote a song from the '80ís, ìThe futureís so bright you have to wear shadesî. We have so many outstanding clinical opportunities for our patients, and the high quality of treatment we can offer, that I truly find this to be the most exciting time in my career, and it is primarily due to dental implants and what they have meant to my patients.
As with every good story there is a potential problem that affects dentistry as we become more and more technology dependent. In the last twenty years there has been approximately a 30 percent to 40 percent decrease in the time spent teaching the technical aspects of fixed and removable prosthoOne of the greatest challenges in todayís dental practice is to stay current on the status of the fabrication and science of implant prostheses. The patients we are treating today present with more complex oral situations than we saw just a few years ago. As Chester Douglas pointed out in his report in The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry recently there is a significant increase of the numbers of people that are retaining their teeth longer and will be in need of restorative treatment. This will be true for both the partially and fully edentulous arch.
Overall the production by the dentist has tripled in the last 40 years, due to many factors. Supporting dental technologists have likewise seen an increase in production, primarily due to the incorporation of ìhigh-techî systems into the daily routine of prosthesis fabrication such as CAD/CAM, spark erosion, advances in ceramic restorations, computerized shade matching, etc.
When I graduated from dental school in 1976 my professors said, ìYou should have graduated a few years ago during the golden days, when all we had to do were gold inlays and onlays.î I believe that today we are in the new golden days and to quote a song from the '80ís, ìThe futureís so bright you have to wear shadesî. We have so many outstanding clinical opportunities for our patients, and the high quality of treatment we can offer, that I truly find this to be the most exciting time in my career, and it is primarily due to dental implants and what they have meant to my patients.
As with every good story there is a potential problem that affects dentistry as we become more and more technology dependent. In the last twenty years there has been approximately a 30 percent to 40 percent decrease in the time spent teaching the technical aspects of fixed and removable prosthodontics. Likewise there is a major decrease in the number of accredited educational programs for dental technologists. Additionally international outsourcing has become commonplace for many dental laboratories.
In this country we have many extremely talented individuals, clinically and technically, dedicated to providing the highest care to the patient. Dentists must recognize that the quality of the laboratory support we request and receive means we are all on the same team and must work together to solve any problems before someone else decides to step in and solve the problem for us, i.e. regulatory intervention. Support of the Certified Dental Technician (CDT) program is critical for the clinician, technologist and the ultimate end consumer --- the patient.
Todayís CDTís are leading the way in high tech prosthetics and are attending the technology meetings in record numbers looking for current and accurate scientific information, not just manufacturer supported data. Dentists, make your technician more a part of your team by taking them with you or going with them to a meeting to discover whatís new. This is the cornerstone of improved communication on the implant team, not just digital photography, phone conversations, work authorizations, etc.
Implant dentistry has so much to offer our patients today, letís improve this already good marriage by providing more support for the CDT and attending CE courses as a team. The technology is here we just need to know how to incorporate it into our team in the best interest of our patients.
dontics. Likewise there is a major decrease in the number of accredited educational programs for dental technologists. Additionally international outsourcing has become commonplace for many dental laboratories.
In this country we have many extremely talented individuals, clinically and technically, dedicated to providing the highest care to the patient. Dentists must recognize that the quality of the laboratory support we request and receive means we are all on the same team and must work together to solve any problems before someone else decides to step in and solve the problem for us, i.e. regulatory intervention. Support of the Certified Dental Technician (CDT) program is critical for the clinician, technologist and the ultimate end consumer --- the patient.
Todayís CDTís are leading the way in high tech prosthetics and are attending the technology meetings in record numbers looking for current and accurate scientific information, not just manufacturer supported data. Dentists, make your technician more a part of your team by taking them with you or going with them to a meeting to discover whatís new. This is the cornerstone of improved communication on the implant team, not just digital photography, phone conversations, work authorizations, etc.
Implant dentistry has so much to offer our patients today, letís improve this already good marriage by providing more support for the CDT and attending CE courses as a team. The technology is here we just need to know how to incorporate it into our team in the best interest of our patients.
