We believe this is your first milling unit for Inline Dental?
Yes this is the first milling unit we've purchased for Inline Dental.
It's been on the cards for a while and we were comparing different systems for quite some time but eventually settled for the 3 Shape E2 scanner and Ivoclar PrograMill Dry milling machine.
How is it going, are you happy with the results?
I'll be honest. In the beginning it was extremely tough because I've had to learn everything from scratch. Gary and his team consisting of Thys, Johan, Werner and Devon were very helpful getting us off the ground and it's a relief to know that they are literally just a phone call away. I've had to contact some of them after working hours and they'll ALWAYS reply and assist. It might not be immediately, but they do reply and my issues were resolved.
The results are amazing! It may have been a bit challenging because of lack of experience, but once you get your brain wrapped around the way the system works, you can definitely achieve very good results, especially with the Prime and Sagemax material.
Is the whole digital experience and workflow, making you feel like you are in a different league?
Digital dentistry allows you to offer something different to your clients in a positive way and yes, the work flow becomes easier and quicker the more you get to know the system and when and how to tweak things. This is definitely the way the industry is going and it's a breath of fresh air knowing we are able to offer this to our clients. It also allows you to turn around work quicker.
Are you seeing improved productivity yet - saving you bench time?
Improved productivity can only happen the more you sit and work with the system. In the beginning it was extremely hard but with the help of your team, using built-in tutorials and YouTube videos, we were able to iron out the issues we had and eventually get to where we are today. There's always room for improvement but that's exactly how technology works - lol!
Are you enjoying the Prime Zirconia – are you happy with the shades and results you are getting?
Just like any other digital lab we've tried out different materials but nothing comes close to the results we've achieved using the Zirconia Prime material. Shades are spot on and with it being a multi layered material we were able to mill big cases to full contour with amazing results.
Sagemax – have you tried it yet? Any feedback for us?
We've tried the Sagemax as well, also with good results. It's not as good as the Prime but very close in my opinion. Material after sintering seems to be a bit lighter than what is required but with a little bit of tweaking with staining and glazing we are able to get the desired results.
Around 70% of the work we do is with Dr Haffajee and his positive comments speak for themselves. He is very happy with the results! To date we have yet to receive any negative feedback from our clients.
For more details on the Ivoclar PrograMill Dry milling machine click here.
Are you enjoying the workflow with PM7?
It’s absolutely fantastic, I am enjoying it very much and everything is working really well! So I am a happy chappy!
We hear you are working with implant bars with an overdenture – tell us about that and your experience with it – was the dentist and patient happy?
Yes we are doing this with huge success and our dentists and patients are delighted.
Are you enjoying working with Prime Zirconia – are you happy with the shades and results you are getting?
We are loving the colour of Prime - it’s spot on! And what is really exciting is that with Prime we are able to mill the margin far thinner with no chipping, and this is a huge time saver in final finishing…
We see you have been busy with titanium bridges – how did those turn out and are you happy?
Let’s just say we are still playing around with it!
Is the PM7 saving you bench time? Do you see it as a time saver?
Yes absolutely – it’s a huge time saver!
We also believe you are doing prosthodontics. How is Ivotion working for you? Have you made a digital denture using the Ivotion system yet?
We are really excited about this and are getting the design right, although I do need some help with the nesting. I am looking forward to more training on this with Johan, upon his return from Ivoclar.
Click here for product information on the PM7.
Tell us about your favourite case using e.max?
It's difficult to speak about one, I am working on so many at the moment and each one of them has such different indicators. Some are tabletop, some simple single inlays, some onlays and single crowns, and a full case of veneers. Actually that pretty much sums up the versatility of e.max. I won’t call it multi-purpose though, as this can perhaps minimise its amazing, focused, capabilities. I feel you only appreciate the real beauty of e.max once you learn to understand the material, and how it is able to perform optimally in a multitude of scenarios. So I think that's pretty much my simple take home from it.
How long have you been using e.max?
From about 2015, when I initially became aware of e.max. Many dentists out there like to talk about ‘recreating nature’ and say how ‘good it is for the body and the health and all of that’, but for me, from a clinical perspective, it's really only the scientist in you that will appreciate e.max in itself. Patients are usually unaware of what's going into their mouths – whether we cement or bond a crown.
We want it to be aesthetically pleasing, but a patient is never aware of the tensile strength, or the coefficient of thermal expansion and all of those amazing things that e.max brings with it. In terms of my experience on a clinical level, I've been incredibly happy with it and for the options it offers. Especially when it comes to anterior work, you're looking at a multitude of different scenarios that need the right material to perform different functions to create the ideal aesthetics, from blocking out, translucency and colour enhancing and matching etc., and from that aspect, I think e.max is amazing!
But the real beauty for me in e.max, and why I choose it, is because it comes with a good track record, is scientifically backed, and for all the biomimetic aspects that it offers… and that is the e.max message that I would like to emphasise from an education standpoint, to patients as well as other clinicians.
It’s crazy that there are labs out there that will use a cheaper block, knowing that it won’t last like e.max does, but it’s cheaper so they choose that for their practice. In some cases that I have seen, a lab will display the e.max sticker, say it’s e.max, but it’s most definitely NOT e.max!
Patients (and their dentists) should not buy into consumerism and expect a crown to last five years (like an iron or microwave does). Only when you critically appraise your work on patients over long periods of time - 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, do you see the importance of using a product that you can trust to stand the test of time like e.max does!
With e.max, for me the beauty is not just in the colour, but in the material science behind it. I would like to share this with other dentists and make them aware of what some labs do; they shouldn’t just accept what they get from their labs – labs should be governed by what we dictate to them! A lab slip should be like a prescription, and stuck to, with no derivative offered or considered! Too many clinicians are being duped into believing they're using e.max. They need to be aware - they owe it to the consumer too! I would like to think that Ivodent could somehow involve the council and get on top of this unethical marketing practise. It’s a big problem, because in essence, the product is being marketed, but not delivered.
Don’t get me started on how I feel about how many poor quality dentists out there are making more money than the really good ones, purely because they move the goalposts and think about the bottom line before longevity in their work. Maybe you need to do more lectures based on material – yes it's not the best lecture, it's a boring topic to talk on, but we need to find an exciting way of getting this message out there.
I also think we're speaking implants too often, but we're not speaking about what's happening in between. And I see the same thing with digital dentistry. There are so many guys talking about digital dentistry and how cool it is and the wonderful offering it is. But when you actually sit down with those guys and ask them, ‘so what are you doing?’ Their response is unsatisfactory. They're simply sending a scan to the laboratory and the laboratory gives them 3D printed models. They have no concept of the process, quality, or expected longevity of the product that they are supplying their patient and which is unquestioningly accepted by the patient.
It's exactly the same with e.max and I think more engagement needs to happen in some sort of a fun, but a relatable way.
Have consumers become more aware and more demanding of quality product materials?
Sure they expect and demand the best long lasting product from you, but they are not really aware how long things should actually last! A crown breaking after 2years - yes they get angry, but after 3yrs they accept it, when they should expect 10years!
I have only been in private practice for two years, so fortunately, I haven't had any of those issues. But I am seeing and fixing patients presenting with other dentists’ issues - I've seen patients come to me who had rehabs done five years ago, and they sit in the chair and they know they're going to pay for it again. And in my head I'm thinking, this is legally not right – but they accept it. I think I would like to see at least 50 percent of my patients being more educated about what they are paying for and what they should expect. It's like they just want a wide smile. Patients are coming to me wanting veneers and crowns done, and I have to educate them that doing less is more. Patients need to be told when doing nothing is better than doing something. They are ill-advised that doing veneers is the best option for protecting their teeth, because even such ‘minimal’ treatment is still invasive and attaches a certain longevity to the tooth. They should be made aware of options available so they can make informed decisions. But yeah, I think we need to educate on the material itself, and it doesn't help to do this when they come to the practice, because I'd like to believe that patients who come to my practice are already the converted and the informed. They come because they have confidence that they will receive quality treatment, or will soon realise, once they are engaged and included in decision-making. I want patients to ask me about material quality and ask ‘what is e.max’. Ask me ‘why do I need a crown over a veneer’, or ‘why do I need a veneer or a crown?’ ‘Or can I have this instead’, etc? Those are good conversations. Yes, I'm seeing more and more patients asking things like that because patients are Googling crowns and veneers, which is incredible, and I love it. But I think we need to get them asking material questions from an implant perspective. The market for implants is smaller, so it's easier to get information out there.
So yes, patients are definitely more aware of what they're putting inside their bodies. I do enjoy educating the patient in my chair so that if they have a family member or a friend who needs the same experience, at least they can speak knowledgeably.
I do love that every step of the way, e.max eliminates stress for me. There's no guessing. I don't think there's any other system in the market that allows us that much predictability from a clinical perspective, predictability both short term and long term. But again, all of this, you guys know already!
Click here for product information on e.max.
Dr David Malan of Hout Bay Dental Studio emailed IVOblog with this to say about his experience using Intensiv diamond burs:
“Working with the Intensiv diamond burs has been an absolute pleasure! They offer a superior cutting edge when compared to other market leading brands. This allows easy cavity preparation without the use of excessive pressure, reducing the risk of overheating the pulp greatly. All-in-all a great working experience for me.”
Ivodent is the local supplier for Intensiv, a 70 year old Swiss dental company that develops and manufactures innovative and superior quality diamond instruments offering 100% end control guarantee with zero tolerance.
The Intensiv product portfolio consists of rotating, oscillating and manual diamond instruments as well as specialties covering a broad spectrum of indications from cavity, crown and bridge. Long-term success of the company is granted by high investments in innovation with Science and Clinical approval.
Earlier in the year IVOblog featured other feedback from a few Ivodent clients:
Paul Van Zyl, Dr PP Van Zyl Inc said, “I like the burs as they remain sharp and well-balanced for a considerable time.”
Dr Sean Napier, Kloof Village Dental said, “A few years ago I attended a lecture and the speaker said, ‘if your burs are what they should be, a gentle brush stroke of the fingers is all that’s required for tooth structure removal.’ The Intensiv bur set I have just used does exactly that, no heavy force needed.”
Janel Welgemoed, Long Beach Dental said, “Intensiv dental products are high quality, endurance instrument burs. I do feel they live up to the quality expected of Swiss dental products. I can highly recommend them.”
Click here to purchase Intensiv burs on IvodentOnline.
Ivodent’s Pretoria-based sales rep Estelle Oberholzer told IVOblog that she enjoys selling Intensiv FG burs to her clients as the “quality is so good” and because she can confidently tell them that “they last longer than other burs on the market, due to their high-quality diamond coating.”
Ivodent is a local supplier of a selected range of Intensiv FG burs.
Intensiv is a 70-year-old Swiss dental company that develops and manufactures innovative and superior quality diamond instruments, offering 100% end-control guarantee and zero tolerance. They have become a benchmark for outstanding performance in terms of quality and functionality, both for preparation and finishing and also polishing instruments. Thanks to constant contact with dental experts and leading university clinics, cutting edge solutions can be discovered for clinical challenges of practicing dentists.
IVOblog also asked some professional Ivodent clients for their feedback:
Dr Paul Van Zyl, Dr PP Van Zyl Inc said, “I like the burs as they remain sharp and well-balanced for a considerable time.”
Dr Sean Napier, Kloof Village Dental said, “A few years ago I attended a lecture and the speaker said, ‘if your burs are what they should be, a gentle brush stroke of the fingers is all that’s required for tooth structure removal.’ The Intensiv bur set I have just used does exactly that, no heavy force needed.”
Dr Janel Welgemoed, Long Beach Dental said, “Intensiv dental products are high quality, endurance instrument burs. I do feel they live up to the quality expected of Swiss dental products. I can highly recommend them.”
Plastic pollution is a growing concern. With statistics showing there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050, it’s encouraging to know that many people are seeking more natural product options.
Introducing Kindbrush – a quality, environmentally-friendly oral care range of toothbrushes and floss – purposefully designed by South African oral hygienist, Chrismarié Barnardt. You can recommend Kindbrush as an eco-friendly alternative with complete confidence; it’s been developed by a local dental professional who is as passionate about oral health as she is about reducing plastic waste.
Demonstrate that your practice cares about the planet as well as your patients, by stocking Kindbrush bamboo toothbrushes and biodegradable floss-in-a-bottle.
Here are 6 reasons we are proud to supply Kindbrush to dental practices around South Africa:
What do our customers say?
Dr Pieter van Rooyen - dentist, Patheodent Dental Clinic, Cape Town
The toothbrush is great! It is soft but effective leaving your teeth clean and smooth, but is gentle on the gums. As a dentist, I can recommend this toothbrush.
Ina Alberts – oral hygienist, I Love My Smile, Pretoria
The Kindbrush is pretty, gentle on teeth and gums, has a comfortable grip and the feel of bamboo between your fingertips is something special. The black floss makes it clearer to see where you’re flossing and slips easily between tight contacts without coming apart. If you’re looking to care for your teeth and our planet, using Kindbrush is a great way!
Andrea Bothma – oral hygienist, The Implant Clinic, Cape Town
I have tried many different kinds of bamboo toothbrushes and biodegradable floss - Kindbrush is the first that I can recommend to my patients. It has a comfortable environmentally-friendly handle, soft bristles that are truly kind to your gums, and stays in an upright position, keeping it hygienic. The floss is fantastic. It is wide enough to remove all of the biofilm around the gum, yet easy to slide between all teeth including crowded teeth. It is biodegradable therefore will not end up somewhere in the ocean.
Benita Mathews, Oral Hygienist, Smith and van Lierop, Cape Town
Loving the Kindbrush range. Definitely recommending this to my patients.
For more detailed product information:
To order Kindbrush click here
